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Best of the Rest: Jessica's picks of 2014
ATTENTION: The year 2014 has concluded its temporal self-destruct sequence. If you are among the escapees, please join us in salvaging and preserving the best games from the irradiated chrono-debris. Threes Threes is ingenious. Its simplistic presentation belies beautiful, thoughtful design and butter-smooth mechanics. Threes isn't a matter of "less is more," it's fully encapsulated and pushed to the limits of what it intends to do, providing hours upon hours of repeated gameplay on that four-by-four tiled screen. On top of the brain-teasing numbers game, writer Asher Vollmer, illustrator Greg Wohlwend and composer Jimmy Hinson infuse Threes with personality, giving the numbers voices and faces, and tipping Threes from "Fun" to "Absolutely adorable. And, of course, fun."
Xbox One gets cozy with Threes and Limbo this week
Xbox One welcomes all moods on December 5 with Limbo and Threes, the next two ID@Xbox entries. Microsoft gifted early Xbox One adopters with Playdead's monochrome misadventure last month, but everyone can purchase the platformer starting Friday. As for numeric puzzler Threes, you can flirt with its figures on the big screen for $7, also on Friday. Limbo is dark, disturbing and more than a bit hostile, but it still earned the full five stars in our 2010 review. If you're after something perkier, Threes combines an esoteric brand of tile-matching with the jazzy, bubbly atmosphere of a lounge party. That may sound like a bizarre mixture, so it's worth reading our Portabliss column to see just why it intoxicated us.
Threes creator launching Close Castles for consoles next year
Threes developer Asher Vollmer targets consoles with his next game Close Castles, confirming a PlayStation 4 release in a post today at the PlayStation Blog. Fresh off an IndieCade showing at E3 2014, Close Castles is a minimalist real-time strategy game that places warring kingdoms in dangerous proximity to one another. Players must expand their kingdoms in the limited space provided while launching attacks to keep their opponents scurrying to rebuild. Close Castles is coming to the PlayStation 4 and other unspecified consoles "some time in 2015." [Image: Asher Vollmer]
Watch a robot play Threes better than you can, live on Twitch
Threes is the adorable, addictive puzzler from Greg Wohlwend and Asher Vollmer, neither of whom are robots. Team Colorblind is the studio behind Aztez, the bloody beat-em-up in development for next-gen platforms and Steam, and no one in that group is a robot, either. Threesus, also known as Threepio, is a robot, and it's playing Threes live on game broadcasting platform Twitch right now - and it's doing a really good job. Matthew Wegner, one half of Team Colorblind, designed the robot playing Threes, while Way designer Walt Destler programmed the AI's logic. We enjoy Threes very much, but we've never reached the ridiculous numbers this robot can. A lot of other people haven't, either: Less than half of players have seen the tile 384, but Threepio has made it to the thousands. So far.
Threes slides to Android, provides numbers about the numbers
The addictive, number-pushing puzzler Threes is now on Android, following its launch on iOS in February. It's currently 33.3 percent off on the Google Play Store, or $2, and it features all of the minimalistic design and party personalities of the original game. The port was handled by Hidden Variable Studios. Threes creators Greg Wohlwend and Asher Vollmer put together an infographic with some scintillating stats about the game in its first month on iOS, including the following information: Of all players, 47 percent are from the US, while 14 percent hail from China – but in China, only 2 percent of players paid for the game, putting the supposed piracy rate at 93 percent. Each day, Threes fans play a cumulative 11 years, for 327 years in total so far. The current high score is 808,989, held by chu121su12, and the highest tile players have reached is 6,144 (six players have seen it). Less than half of players have seen the 384 tile, while more than 70 percent have reached the tile previous, 192. Check out the full infographic after the break (click to enlarge). Wohlwend and Vollmer launched Threes on iOS first simply because of time and resources – and because of uncertainty about the game's success, Wohlwend told me. "Releasing on multiple platforms would be really overwhelming and take us too much extra time to coordinate," he said. "It seems like we could have in hindsight, but at the time just before release on iOS we were really uncertain about Threes. It could go either way and so we do all we can, when we can. I think this is the case for just about every indie developer out there. When you release a game, you have no real data about if those many months of work will connect with people. So staying in that vacuum, with an unreleased game, and assuming that it's worth it to port it to every platform, can be a huge trap." The team hasn't released information about how many players have gotten their paws on Threes, but given the new port and celebratory infographic, we're guessing Wohlwend and Vollmer's bets paid off. [Image: Greg Wohlwend]
Threes browser game will ensure you get absolutely no work done
Attention hungry iOS Threes addicts and sad Android users: You, too, can play Threes all day long with the browser game, designed specifically for those who want to spend hours avoiding actual work (or those who forgot their spectacles at home). Seriously, open this game only if you're OK with not doing anything productive the rest of the day. You already opened it? Oh, man. We warned you. Threes comes from artist Greg Wohlwend and designer Asher Vollmer, and it's a brilliantly simple premise: On a four-by-four grid, slide numbers together to create larger numbers, all divisible by three. One and two make three, three and three make six, six and six make twelve, and up from there, squishing together the same, three-based numbers to achieve the high score. The Threes browser game doesn't include the amiable chatter and unique personalities of each number featured in the iOS version, but it has the option to play the game's music. The big version comes from Angela Li, @angelaconstance on Twitter, and it's been approved by Wohlwend and Vollmer. "We're really flattered that a fan would take the time to put Threes in the browser like this," Wohlwend tells Joystiq. "It's a fan-made, free game that doesn't try to profit from our hard work on Threes. We're currently trying our hardest to stay focused on the next update as well as on porting to Android. While the obvious feelings of 'uh-oh, people really want to play Threes everywhere' kind of permeate our thoughts more and more, and it's hard to focus on what we need to because of that, we feel this homage was done with the right kind of heart." [Image: Angela Li]
Portabliss: Threes
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. Imagine a house party in a minimalist, white studio apartment, where the easy, simple decor belies a mixed group of partygoers. For some, introductions and flirtations come effortlessly, while others are more shy. For all the many people, the atmosphere is one of constant effervescence and the collective always mingles as one, its faces and sounds shifting and changing as the night bubbles on. Now imagine that as an addictive puzzle game with numbers. Don't worry if you cannot, because Threes already exists. To casually glance at Threes, you wouldn't sense its foxy personality. In its heart of hearts, the iOS game is a matching puzzler with numbers, which sounds like the opposite of sexy. That said, even when you discount its style, Threes isn't a conventional matching game.
Indie puzzler Threes comes to iOS at 33% off, naturally
Today marks the debut of Threes, a new iOS puzzle game that asks players to combine adorably anthropomorphic numbers into even larger, potentially cuter numbers. Developed by Ridiculous Fishing artist Greg Wohlwend and Asher Vollmer, formerly a designer at thatgamecompany, Threes was built from the ground-up with accessibility in mind. "Threes is a game anyone can play anywhere," Wohlwend told us in an interview last month. "It's the first game I've ever made that didn't rely at least partially on reflexes in some way. It's purely turn-based and rewards a lot of thought between each move." Vollmer added, "It can be played for ten seconds or two hours at a time. There's no hidden or memory-based information, which means it can be picked up at any point in the game. The difficulty of the puzzle always keeps up with the skill level of the player." To celebrate the game's launch, Threes has been marked down to $2, or by 33.3 percent, a figure that is both numerically apropos and only available for a limited time. [Image: Sirvo LLC]
Addictive iOS puzzling comes in 'Threes'
Threes, due out on February 6, is an addictive little iOS puzzler from Ridiculous Fishing artist Greg Wohlwend and former thatgamecompany designer Asher Vollmer, both of whom collaborated on Puzzlejuice back in 2012. It's another tile-based puzzle game, asking players to squish numbers together across a 4-by-4 grid to make larger and larger numbers, each divisible by three. The numbers themselves have personalities and backstories, and even voices, some of which are provided by fellow indie developers. It's surprisingly adorable, for a game starring numbers. "Threes is a game anyone can play anywhere," Wohlwend tells Joystiq. "It's the first game I've ever made that didn't rely at least partially on reflexes in some way. It's purely turn-based and rewards a lot of thought between each move. Those aspects will make for a puzzle that'll live in your pocket forever." Vollmer and Wohlwend have found a sweet spot in mobile gaming, offering customizable challenges for players of all ranges, Vollmer says: "Just a quick glance at the app store charts will show you how popular puzzle games are .... I kept the idea of how gigantic and diverse the audience is in the forefront of my mind while designing Threes. It can be played for ten seconds or two hours at a time. There's no hidden or memory-based information, which means it can be picked up at any point in the game. The difficulty of the puzzle always keeps up with the skill level of the player. I believe anyone with a critical mind will enjoy the game – it's just a matter of getting it in their pockets."
Thatgamecompany's next project is 'years' away, says departing dev
The next thatgamecompany project won't see the light of day for "years," according to Asher Vollmer, who announced he's left the developer. In a blog post, Vollmer said he left the Flower and Journey studio because focusing on his work forced him to neglect his own game ideas, a feeling exacerbated by the "snail's pace" progress of development."The Game is going to be incredible," wrote Vollmer, referring to TGC's current work-in-progress, "But it is moving slowly. There are YEARS remaining on the project and, quite frankly, those are years I don't want to give up for a game that isn't truly mine."While details remain closely guarded, we know thatgamecompany's next project is a multiplatform one, and that it's being developed on the back of a $5.5 million investment from venture capital firm Benchmark Capital. Studio co-founder Jenova Chen told us touch interfaces and free-to-play models are being considered, but not much is set in stone.As for Vollmer, the end of his tenure as a Feel Engineer at thatgamecompany means the Puzzlejuice creator himself become independent. However, in his blog post Vollmer noted thatgamecompany's next project as something he didn't "casually abandon.""It's going to be huge. And I don't mean it's going to be a long sprawling game," Vollmer wrote. "I mean it's going to be an IMPORTANT game. I genuinely believe it's going to change the industry in a really positive way."No pressure then, TGC.
Puzzlejuice plans a Steam release, dev goes to work for thatgamecompany
Puzzlejuice is one of my favorite recent apps on the App Store, and it's about to get a lot more ... well, favorite-er. The app is getting a big update this Thursday taking it to version 1.5, and celebrating the fact that the game has been included in the PAX 10 at this weekend's big video game convention in Seattle. The new version will have a tougher difficulty level, a new powerup, and compatibility with Spanish, French, Italian and Dutch as well as the original English. And because of the update itself, the game will be on sale for just 99 cents -- a bargain at twice the price. The title is also making its way to Steam, and developer Asher Vollmer says that he's working on a keyboard only version of the game (so maybe the letters will be typed out instead of dragging a finger across the screen) that we'll get to see at PAX. And Vollmer also shares the good news that he's been hired as a game designer at thatgamecompany, the excellent studio known for great games like Flow and Journey. So congrats to Vollmer on all of his success -- that Steam version should be just around the corner and we can't wait to see what he's up to next.
This year's PAX 10: JS Joust, Offspring Fling!, Puzzlejuice and more
The PAX 10, an illustrious group of indie games chosen annually to be spotlighted during PAX Prime in Seattle, have been selected. This year's rarified group include the likes of Johann Sebastian Joust, Offspring Fling! – a game we highlighted in length on the Super Joystiq Podcast – and hypnotic iOS darling Puzzlejuice.Other lesser-known titles include the latest from Cipher Prime, the studio behind Auditorium and Fractal, a Steam title called Splice, and puzzle games Containment: The Zombie Puzzler and The Bridge. Puzzle-platformer The Swapper is also represented, along with DigiPen's stealth-action game Deity and Catch-22. Turtle Sandbox's action-strategy hybrid Cannon Brawl rounds out the list of ten.All PAX 10 titles will be featured in their own special area at this year's PAX Prime, which goes down August 31 through September 2 in downtown Seattle, WA.
Portabliss: Puzzlejuice (iOS)
Did you know that you can download handheld games now? That's amazingly convenient! The only inconvenient part of it is finding the right games to buy -- and that's where we come in, with our Portabliss column. In each installment, we'll tell you about a downloadable game on the iPhone, iPad, Android device, DSi, 3DS, PSP, etc. Today: Portabliss. Usually, if an iPhone game is crippled by its control scheme, I won't recommend it here. Most of the time, awkward controls are enough to get me to stop playing a game, and not bother with it. However, Puzzlejuice's concept is so strong and so irresistible that I continue playing it, over and over again, despite there never being a time I'm not fighting with the controls. And I'm going to tell you to play it, even though you're going to be annoyed by the controls too. I think that's indicative of strong game design.
Puzzlejuice summoned to App Store tomorrow
Greg Wohlwend, part of the team behind the amazing iOS version of Solipskier and the upcoming Ridiculous Fishing, has a new game coming to the App Store tomorrow. Puzzlejuice, a collaboration with Asher Vollmer, retains the neon color scheme of Solipskier, with a combination of falling-block and word gameplay. We don't really understand it, but it appears that you direct Tetris-like blocks into a pile, then tap them to reveal letters, then select words within those groupings of letters. We look forward to figuring it out tomorrow, when the game will be released for $3.
