Chicago, Illinois – Game Salutes is pleased to announced Dropage, their new physics-based platformer for iOS. Dropage delivers a unique experience through a combination of cool items and fast game play. Strong level design makes this game an addictive experience by challenging players with multiple paths to complete levels and items that can both help and hurt the outcome depending on the scenario. It is available now for purchase on the Apple ITunes Store for only $0.99.
The objective of the game is simple: get the marble past the last platform in as little time as possible. What makes this game unique is the clever level design and selection of items. The coolest item is the marble splitter that turns one marble into three. Each marble acts independently, but the physics of the game affects all of them simultaneously making it a challenge to successfully negotiate all the obstacles in the level. Players will often need to go out of their way and put themselves in danger to earn this item, but it will pay off. The only constraint to complete a level is that at least one marble must finish before the time expires. Finishing levels quickly with more marbles results in a higher score. Any additional marble that completes a level adds an extra life.
The basics of the game play are simple. Players tilt the screen to roll the marble in a particular direction. The more the tilt the faster the marble rolls in that direction. Tap the screen and the marble jumps. Each platform has holes in it causing the player to drop to the next platform. Dropping past the last platform completes the level. Along the way the player will encounter mine, oil slick, goo, glue, block, and splitter items. Items are activated by running over them. The mine items are the scariest and are easily recognized as spiky red icons in the level. Hit one of these and your marble explodes with a brilliant flash. If this is the last marble left on the screen you lose a life and must repeat the level. If no more lives remain, then it’s game over. The oil slick item causes the physics of the game to accelerate for that marble and consequently the marble moves faster on the screen. This can be helpful if the player has a clear path to the finish or must leap over several mines at once, but it also makes it easier to miscalculate and hit a stray mine. The oil slick item appears in the game as a thin black rectangle.
The goo item is recognizable by a green blob on the screen. It slows down the game physics for that marble making it easier to control it but also more difficult to leap over consecutive obstacles. Use these items wisely. The glue item causes the marble to get stuck, and it manifests itself in the game as a thin white rectangle. Interestingly enough, this can be helpful to control multiple marbles at once so that a tilt in one direction does not cause another marble to hit a mine. All these items have a use time that expires after a couple seconds. Once the item expires, the physics return to normal for that marble. The final item, the block item, is simple. It is a barrier that stands in the player’s way. Hitting it causes the marble to bounce off of it. In later levels block items are strategically placed to make negotiating other obstacles more difficult. The player can spot the block item as a tall white rectangle.
The levels are fast-paced and can be finished in one minute or less. Completing a level saves the player’s progress, allowing the player to continue playing at a later time. The levels start real simple at first, but do not be fooled; they will quickly ramp up in difficulty and pose a good challenge to mobile gamers. The initial release contains 26 levels with more to come in future updates. Each level features a unique background and platform foreground color, making certain levels very memorable.
The scoring system in Dropage is fun. Dropping to the next platform adds one hundred points. Completing a level results in one thousand points. Each second left on the clock when the marble finishes results in more points, and the bonus multiplier increases with each level. Additional marbles act independently; so finishing a level with two or three marbles can potentially double or triple the score for that level. If the time runs out after one marble finishes the level, the level is complete but no additional points or lives are earned for any marbles that remain on the scene.
Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
* Requires iOS 3.0 or later
* 2.1 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Dropage 1.0 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.
Game Salutes
Dropage 1.0
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Game Salutes is an independent game developer founded in 2008 to bring challenging and engaging games to mobile devices. The company’s current focus is the iOS platform, and this release marks their second app store release. They are also interested in expanding to the growing Android market. Copyright (C) 2008-2012 Game Salutes. 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.
