iOS game 'Papa Quash' looks remarkably JS Joust-like [update]
Johann Sebastian Joust, the game of players attempting to jostle one another to set off accelerometers, would work great on iPhone (if a bit dangerous), and in fact it looks like it does work great. Too bad developer Die Gute Fabrik wasn't the one to put it there.
Papa Quash by developer ustwo looks exactly like Joust. Players walk slowly, deliberately around a space, trying to slap, push, or otherwise put each other off balance until only one winner is left unperturbed.
It's just on iPhone instead of a computer using Moves, and has "wacky characters" and dubstep. Oh, and in-app purchases (it's otherwise free on iTunes). We've placed a video of Joust after the break for comparison. Either two people had the exact same incredibly creative idea, or some "inspiration" was taken from Joust.
Of course, this isn't the first time an iOS clone has beaten an official indie game port to market. Radical Fishing developer Vlambeer found Ninja Fishing on iOS ahead of its own mobile version, and one game, One and One Story, was cloned on iOS from the original code.
Update: Developer ustwo explained to Gamasutra that it was commissioned by Sam Pepper to develop that game. "We told him about J. S. Joust and he emailed them to OK it," marketing director Steve Bittan said. "After we got that assurance we did service work on it."
JS Joust co-creator Douglas Wilson told Joystiq that the developer is "working on an official response." Die Gute Fabrik tweeted that "we have never and would never approve, give permission, or encourage anyone to clone of any of our games."
