About four hours ago, Colin Lynch Smith, Vice President for well-known Mac and iOS game developer and publisher Freeverse, sent out a tweet which caused us a great deal of sadness:
“Last day at Freeverse, long may she sail!”
We queried him about his tweet, and received this response: “No immediate plans, just taking some time off. Freeverse goes on, but without Ian and I. Weird!”
Ian refers to Colin’s brother, Ian Lynch Smith. Colin and Ian both co-founded Freeverse back in 1994 and have since contributed not just great games to the Mac game community, but significantly to the actual culture of Mac gaming. In early 2010 ngmoco acquired Freeverse, and many in the game community questioned what that would mean for Freeverse. The company swore that they would continue as an independent entity…at least for the near future.
And at least for the first half of 2010 that seemed the case. Numerous iOS games were released under the Freeverse brand, including Warpgate and Pride, Prejudice and Zombies. But as the year ran on fewer games were revealed. In 2011, no game announcements came from Freeverse at all. And looking at the ngmoco site, one finds one game developed by Freeverse after late 2010…an android game called Dragoncraft.
And now it comes to this…the founders themselves have left. They are not the first of the key members of the Freeverse team to have left since the ngmoco sale, but they are the most painful. Because they ARE Freeverse.
Note: Toucharcade has a great write-up about this on their site.
What’s inside this episode:
- A review of Train Conductor 2, by Voxel Agents. Despite the kids’ title, Train Conductor 2 is a strategy game requiring split-second decision-making and fast fingers. Gorgeous graphics, unique levels, and great gameplay combine to make this a great buy.
- Also, a review of Blackjack and Prizes, published by Freeverse. A rather routine, easy game, of Blackjack, merged with a quick and boring game of slots. The missions have no real added value to the gameplay, and the swag isn’t even memorable. Sadly, one of the least quality of the games that Freeverse has ever released.
- Also, a review of Galactic Alliance, published by Vectorform. Brings that nostalgia of arcade days of yore to your modern iPad with simple graphics and sliding difficulty for a great co-op game with friends and strangers alike.
What’s inside this episode:
- A review of Hordes of Orcs 2, by Freeverse. The sequel to the original tower defense game by Freeverse, that isn’t.
- Also, a review of Poker Night at the Inventory, by Telltale Games. A nice poker game to just kick back for a while and chill out with your favorite game characters.
Felasold has announced the release of Bricky, their brick-building app for iPhone and iPad. The game comes with an unlimited supply of bricks with which to build whatever your creativity can come up with, seemingly a Minecraft ala iOS. The game is on sale for $3.99, still a bit of a price no matter how many bricks you get.
Freeverse has released their next freemium title, Blackjack & Prizes. Each hand sends points to the Jackpot meter. Fill that up and you go to the bonus slots to gain more chips and prizes to unlock The Heist, an interactive adventure puzzle game. The game is free, but you can purchase additional stacks of chips for play through in-app purchases.
What’s inside this episode:
- A review of Scarlett and the Spark of Life, by Launching Pad Games. While a bit short, Scarlett and the Spark of Life is wonderfully funny and snarky with fun puzzles to lighten your day.
- Also, a review of Big Bad Flower, by Big Bad Brush. It’s a great way to spend a little time punishing the guys who dig up your flowerbeds with quick finger action.
- Plus, a review of Flick Winter Carnival, by Freeverse. This game probably won’t appeal to those looking for more than a quick diversion from a boring line stand, especially with the issues with the Ring Toss and Bottle Smash game. More for the young than the young at heart.
Appular has released Neo Defender 2, which was announced earlier in the month. A modernized Asteroids set in deep space, your craft must be defended at all costs. As the sole defender of the last surviving craft, you must avoid defeat by blasting away illuminated geometric space enemies that multiply and disperse!
Freeverse has released a new freemium game, Flick Winter Carnival. In keeping with their flick franchise, Flick Winter Carnival allows you to play all of those carnival games of old with a flick of the finger. Included are Bottle Smash, Old West Shooting Gallery, Ring Toss, and Fortune Teller…where you can get your fortune told by Voltare the Wise. Or you can get your photo taken at the photo booth. Freeverse is touting the physics within the game, delivered by the NVIDIA PhysX engine, and console-quality graphics. The game also includes in-app purchases, like the Bling pack and the Adventure pack. The game is free for download from the App Store, and includes both an iPhone and iPad version.
Entering the App Store with some totally new IP, PopCap Games has released Escape Rosecliff Island, a hidden object game for both iPhone and iPad. After an unexpected storm, your left shipwrecked on a mysterious private island. Solving puzzles through 25 scenes is your only way out. PopCap has included three game modes, Island Mode, Unlimited Seek & Find, and a mystery bonus game mode that is unlockable within the game. On-demand hints and five different types of mini-games round out the game. Escape Rosecliff Island is available on the App Store for $4.99 for the iPad version, $2.99 for the iPhone version.
What’s inside this episode:
- A review of Slice It!, by Com2uS. The kind of game you can drop in and out of very quickly, and yet is both fun and hard enough to make you forget a rainy afternoon. Hand-drawn style graphics and good gameplay mechanics make this a fun pick-me-up for any iOS gamer.
- Also, a review of Warpgate, by Freeverse. Warpgate has the story, the space flight, the gorgeous graphics, and the factional politics. Even though the combat is hurtin’, but you can still spend hours finding out the secrets of the universe.
- Plus, a review of The Line, by Ant Hive Games. An innovative puzzler with some unique ideas in level design. Sadly, the lack of an ability to see an entire level while playing will frustrate players till they finally tie a knot in their line.
Freeverse has announced that they are now publishing Field of Glory, Slitherine Studios 2D turn-based wargame, and its expansion packs for the Mac. The computer game is based on the table top game of the same name, and uses an email-based system to engage in multiplayer action.
Field of Glory is a wargame system that covers the ancient and medieval worlds, from the beginnings of the Roman Empire to the Medieval times. The game features both single-player and two-player PVP gaming using the PBEM (play by email) which allows players to issue challenges and make moves via email, rather than connect to a remote server. The only requirement is a working email address.
A comprehensive scenario builder is also included, the Digital Army Generator. Players have access to graphics for 11 different terrain types with western European and arid settings, as well as 141 different battle group types and high customization for individual behavior in the game. Players can create custom armies and battles and challenge other players in-game.
Also, for the first time, all three expansion packs…Rise of Rome, Storm of Arrows, and Immortal Fire…are also now available on the Mac. The Windows and Mac versions are compatible so players can play against each other too.
Rise of Rome covers Rome throughout it’s Republican period. The expansion also allows you to play Roman soldiers against armies from other army packs, so you can see how Roman soldiers do against, for example, medieval soldiers.
Storm of Arrows covers the armies of Western Europe from 1300 to 1500 AD, characterized by a rise in the role of infantry and a decline in the role of mounted knights.
Immortal Fire covers the armies of the Classical and Hellenistic eras from the development of the hoplite system in Greece in the 7th century BC until the Hellenistic successor kingdoms that derived from the break-up of Alexander the Great’s empire came into conflict with Rome from the 3rd century BC onwards.
If you’re hearing that roar in the distance, don’t worry. It’s just Hordes of Orcs 2! The sequel to the tower defense game for the Mac and Windows was released today by Freeverse for $19.95.
Developed by MrJoy, Inc, Hordes of Orcs 2 brings, well, hordes of orcs back through the “The Glowing Portal of Really Bad Things That We Should Have Bricked-Up a Long Time Ago” that was foolishly unbricked.
You defend your castle from the onslaught by strategically building walls and placing the right combination of towers for attack and defense. The sequel includes Arrow Towers, Radiation Towers, Fire Towers and the all-new Railgun Tower. Handy spells can be used to distract and weaken your enemies, including Fog, Weaken, Bait (distract the Orcs with an irresistible basket of shitake mushrooms and dung–ewwwww), and Teleport.
Hordes of Orcs 2 also features new units, such as the Skeleton, and an enhanced AI, creating more difficult patterns to push you to constantly adjust your strategy. Freeverse uses the +7systems Balance Engine, which collects non-personal information about gameplay to improve future versions of Hordes of Orcs (implying that there will be future versions), but the system can be turned of at any time.
You’ll have access to six different game modes, including basic Open Warfare, Capture the Flag, and Maze Defense. Freeverse also promises enhanced graphics, including enhanced lighting and particle effects, and an improved game interface. Freeverse also states that the game is sold free of DRM.
Hop onto the Freeverse site for more information or to purchase your copy of Hordes of Orcs 2.
