Santa Clarita, California – Opertoon today announced the release of Chapter Four of the digital comic Upgrade Soul 1.2 for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, commemorating the occasion with a three-day sale on February 8-10 during which the first chapter of the app will be available for free (regularly $1.99 USD).
Upgrade Soul has been featured continuously in the U.S. App Store since its initial release on Halloween of 2012. Critics have responded favorably, calling the app “gripping science fiction” (MacLife) and “a beautiful piece of subtly interactive publishing” (Hookshot, Inc.) that “will upgrade your expectations of the graphic novel form” (AppAdvice). Upgrade Soul was included in Apple’s “Best of 2012” list for the Mexico App Store, and Pipedream Comics named the app one of the “Top 10 Digital Comics of 2012”.
Upgrade Soul is also the first app to be built using “Opertoonity,” a new technology from Opertoon that combines the visual language of comics with a game engine. The technology was designed to enhance the comics reading experience with fluid navigation, subtle 3D effects, and music that reacts note-for-note to the reader’s actions.
Written and illustrated by Ezra Claytan Daniels, Upgrade Soul tells the story of Hank and Molly Nonnar, wealthy science buffs who decide to fund science prodigy Kenton Kallose’s experimental therapy to rejuvenate the human body, with one condition: that they be first in line to receive it. When dangerous complications develop, the Nonnars are faced with a terrifying dilemma. In the newly-released fourth chapter, Kallose struggles to placate his troubled sister in the aftermath of the Nonnars’ failed procedure, and a secret about the development of the therapy is revealed.
Upgrade Soul features an original reactive score by Alexis Gideon and interactive design by Opertoon founder Erik Loyer. “The sale is a great opportunity for people who already love Upgrade Soul to share its peculiar brand of immersive storytelling with their friends, and for those who’ve been wondering what the fuss is about to try it for the first time,” said Loyer.
About Ezra Claytan Daniels:
Ezra Claytan Daniels is a writer and illustrator based in Chicago, IL. His critically acclaimed science fiction graphic novel series, The Changers, began a unique comics career peppered with a number of collaborative multimedia projects ranging from video games (Ruben & Lullaby, also with Opertoon) to animation (Sun Wu Kong, with Alexis Gideon) to feature documentaries (Lunch Line, with Uji Films).
About Alexis Gideon:
An animator, video artist, composer and performer, Alexis Gideon is the modern traveling bard. Gideon’s Video Musics series of animated rap operas have garnered him an international audience of eclectic intellectuals, and his work is distributed in the United States, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the UK and Japan.
Device Requirements:
* iPhone 4/4S/5, iPod touch (5th generation), iPad 2 and iPad mini
* Requires iOS 4.3 or later
* Universal app optimized for display on all iOS devices
* 161 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Upgrade Soul 1.2 is free for a limited time and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category. Chapter One is included. Additional chapters (through Chapter Four) can be unlocked immediately via in-app purchase for $1.99 USD each, or by pre-ordering Chapters 2-6 at a 30% discount for $6.99 (prices are for the U.S. App Store; priced accordingly in other regions world-wide). Subsequent chapters (eighteen total) will debut roughly monthly.
Opertoon
Upgrade Soul 1.2
Download from iTunes
YouTube Video 1
YouTube Video 2
Press Kit
Located in Santa Clarita, California, Opertoon was founded in 2008 by award winning interactive media artist Erik Loyer to create “stories you can play” that combine elements of comics, games, and music with touch- and gesture-sensitive devices. Copyright (C) 2013 Opertoon. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
