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Simogo teases a smashing giant game that will probably never exist
Simogo, the kooky developer behind Year Walk and Device 6, probably won't be able to turn Brisby & Donnovan into a full game, and that's a shame. Before starting Simogo, Simon Flesser and Magnus "Gordon" Gardeback worked on Brisby & Donnovan at Southend Interactive, a studio that no longer exists. Since Simogo doesn't own the idea, this adorable and creepy monster masher will most likely remain as it is in this prototype gameplay video, forever. "Anyway, It would be a shame for it to go unseen, so we wanted to take the opportunity to show you at least one little snippet of the fun and lovely things that were brewing inside Southend," Flesser writes. "Enjoy." Simogo isn't ready to talk about its next game yet, but the team is feeling good about it, Flesser says: "We're working and iterating on the idea of our next game a lot on the moment (and making really good progress; we already have something beautiful on device!)."
PSA: Year Walk takes a stroll on Steam
Device 6 developer Simogo makes its Steam debut this week with Year Walk, a PC port of its acclaimed iOS first-person adventure game. Year Walk puts players on a vision quest through a dark forest, where they'll solve environmental puzzles and encounter mythical creatures from Swedish folklore. The upgraded Steam version includes new puzzles and in-game locations, along with new features like maps, a hint system and an integrated creature encyclopedia. Year Walk is available for $5.99. [Image: Simogo]
Year Walk's eerie Swedish scares creep onto Steam March 6
Swedish developer Simogo - they of Device 6 fame - have announced a release date for the PC incarnation of the spooky Year Walk: March 6. Originally released to iOS in February of 2013, Year Walk is a puzzle game focused on an old, bizarre Swedish folktale. As with all Simogo games, playing Year Walk is less like working your way through a game and more like interacting with a novel work of fiction, so explaining the mythology behind Year Walk would defeat its purpose. Just know that the above trailer is a valid reflection of the game's eerie tone, and the sort of snowbound, Scandinavian horror awaiting players in Year Walk. Instead of simply rehashing Year Walk for its PC debut, Simogo has added a number of new features to the game. These include additional areas to explore, new in-game puzzles, updated artwork, Steam achievement support and a comprehensive in-game encyclopedia which will offer players more information on the strange things they encounter in the game's darkened forests. [Image: Simogo]
Creepy puzzle game Year Walk conquers Steam in early 2014
Quirky horror puzzler Year Walk is coming to Steam in early 2014 from developer Simogo. Year Walk explores the lore behind an ancient Swedish myth that saw townsfolk journey to church at midnight, passing through forests filled with beasts representing the most vile acts imaginable. Year Walk hit iOS in February, and the desktop version is somewhere between a port and a complete remake, Simogo says. Some puzzles in the mobile version rely on touch and handheld-specific mechanics, and those have been redesigned or replaced to work with a keyboard and mouse. "With the cursor you'll be able to interact with the world (and it'll quite neatly show you what things you can interact with when hovering above them), but we've also added a very subtle 'look-around' feature," Simogo says. "You can move the camera slightly depending on where the mouse cursor is on the screen. Imagine a classic first-person PC game mixed with a point and click adventure, and you're somewhat close. It feels really good!" The companion app released with Year Walk is integrated into the Steam version, the art has been redone to accommodate larger screens, and there's a map and an optional hint system. Right now the only hint we have for a release date is "early" in 2014.
Daily iPhone App: Year Walk exudes a mysterious and personal feel
We posted last week that a new app from Simogo called Year Walk was coming to the App Store, and it's now out and available for download. And man, what a piece of work it is. Simogo consists of two Swedish developers named Simon Flesser and Magnus 'Gordon' Gardebäck, and they're known for their funny, but great little games, like Bumpy Road or Beat Sneak Bandit. Year Walk, however, is much more personal and intimate -- it's just about the most artful game I've seen on iOS yet. The basic idea of the game is that your character is thinking about going on a "Year Walk", which is a sort of a Swedish quest of legend that's meant to predict the future in some way (there's so much Swedish folklore in the game that Simogo has released a free companion app for it). And so much of the game consists of you "walking" through the woods by swiping around the screen -- left and right to travel, or up and down to swipe forward or back through the woods. As you go, there are a number of Myst-like puzzles to figure out, but the whole tone of the game is serene, mysterious and vaguely creepy. Year Walk is an experiment in using the iPhone's touchscreen interface to immerse you in a feeling, in a mood, and on that count it is very, very successful. I'm still sort of reeling from my experience with Year Walk -- I haven't yet finished the game by a long shot, but even the little time I've spent with it so far has left me with a huge, great impression. This is a very, very artful and well-designed project that obviously means a lot to Simogo (even if it may be a little confusing for more casual gamers), and I have a feeling that once we roll around to the end of the year and start talking about the best iOS experiences of 2013, Year Walk will be sitting there among them. Definitely don't miss out, but do enter into it with an open, ready mind: It's available for US$3.99 on the App Store.
Simogo's latest, Year Walk, coming to iOS next week
Simogo is an iOS developer best known for games that are cartoony and fun, like the great Beat Sneak Bandit and the charming Bumpy Road. But the company's next title is going to take a much darker turn, apparently. Year Walk is Simogo's next project, and as you can see above, this game looks neither cartoony or fun. Year Walk is set on a New Year's Eve in 19th century Sweden, as the player is tasked with exploring some dark woods to try and solve a mystery. The game's teaser trailer sets the tone about right: There will be puzzles and exploration involved, all with a very creepy, atmospheric black-and-white feel. Like I said, different from Bumpy Road. The title also has a companion app coming with it, that will fill in players on a lot of the folk lore and backstory that support the game's setting and various creatures. Year Walk looks very interesting. It should be available, according to Simogo, on the App Store on February 21, so we'll look for it next week.
