Overland Park, Kansas – Starios Games today is pleased to introduce Rock-a-Tac 1.0 Free for iOS, their new Game combining the strategy and tactics of both Rock-Paper-Scissors and Tic-Tac-Toe. For multi or single-player gameplay, Rock-a-Tac challenges players to take turns placing one of three different kinds of animated, 3D pieces on a Tic-Tac-Toe board. The goal is to create a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line of pieces containing a Rock-Paper-Scissors combination of the player’s color. When the board is full, players can replace opposing pieces, if they are vulnerable, to win. An unusual logic game, Rock-a-Tac features extraordinary 3D graphics by Thomas Varoux, an artist who contributed to the game “Squids,” which was featured by Apple and is currently the Number One RPG in 34 countries.
The game rules are basically the same as Tic-Tac-Toe, but there are three different game pieces. Once a stalemate has been reached with all nine squares filled and no winner, gameplay continues. Players then take turns, replacing their opponent’s piece with a piece of their own that beats it. For example, if the opponent has a Rock in the middle spot of the Tic-Tac-Toe grid, the player can take over that spot, but only with one of their Paper pieces (Paper beats Rock, Rock beats Scissors, and Scissors beats Paper). On their next turn, the opponent may then take over that same spot (Paper now) with their Scissors character, and so on. At the beginning of each game, both players select Rock, Paper, or Scissors to determine who goes first.
The three different pieces appear as animated, 3D objects or characters. When placed on the board they face left or right, depending upon the square, heightening the sense of depth. On being placed on the board, each piece emerges from a formless lump of matter into a highly detailed piece. In the game’s second phase, when all nine squares are filled, the animated pieces move to illustrate which pieces are vulnerable to the currently chosen piece. For example, if the player has selected a Rock piece to place on the board, all the opponent’s Scissors pieces open and close in unison on the gameboard. Selecting a Scissors piece causes all the opponent’s Paper pieces to flutter in unison. And selecting a Paper piece causes all the opponent’s Rock pieces expand and contract.
Feature Highlights:
* Fascinating logic game for one or two players
* Combines elements of Tic-Tac-Toe and Rock-Paper-Scissors
* Incredible 3D worlds and game pieces by artist Thomas Varoux
* Three levels of play in single-player game: Easy, Medium, and Hard
* Each player starts with 3 Rock, 3 Scissors, and 3 Paper animated game pieces
Rock-a-Tac has both single and multi-player modes. Single player mode has three levels, each with a different background. Each of the three levels features one of the Rock-Paper-Scissors pieces in some way. The Easy level background (Forest) features Rocks in the image. The Medium level background (Egyptian) features Paper (papyrus scrolls) in the image. The Hard level background (Steam-Punk) features Scissors in the image. Gamers may choose any of the three backgrounds during multi-player games played via iOS Game Center.
Players may also choose to play as the Good (3D pieces are enveloped in a topaz glow), Evil (scarlet), or Golden (gold) version of the characters. This only affects the color of the game pieces used for the player and their opponent. Unlocking the Golden game piece set requires the user to win a minimum of 30 multi-player games, or unlock it instantly through an in-app-purchase. The app will track the user’s statistics (wins/losses) for each single player level as well as multi-player games.
“We knew we had a great game, but it was simple – only nine pieces and no explosions,” stated Rowdy Ratts of Starios Games. “So we hired the best freelance games artist we could find, Thomas Varoux. His awesome 3D graphics have made every move in Rock-a-Tac a dramatic, game-changing event.”
Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
* Requires iOS 4.3 or later (iOS 5 tested)
* Universal app optimized for display on all iOS devices
* 19.3 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Rock-a-Tac 1.0 Free is free (ad-supported) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. Users may obtain the ad-free, Pro version for $0.99 (USD).
Rock-a-Tac 1.0
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Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Starios Games, LLC was founded by Rowdy Ratts in 2012. The company focuses on game development for iOS devices and will soon branch out to the Android market as well. Copyright (C) 2012 Starios Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.