Joystiq

Capy's success and sworcery catchphrase: 'It's getting there'

David Hinkle — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST

At the conclusion of his GDC 2013 panel, Still Kicking: The Viability of Paid Apps in the Era of F2P, Capybara Games co-founder and president Nathan Vella offered unique insight into the trials endured by the company. The developers were pushing for creativity and originality in their games, but were beset by problem after problem.

"It's getting there" quickly became the company mantra, a mission statement of sorts and catchphrase that succinctly sums up the Toronto development house's endeavors.

Continue reading Capy's success and sworcery catchphrase: 'It's getting there'

Capy's success and sworcery catchphrase: 'It's getting there' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capy Fine Racing GP is a game on a floppy disk at PAX East

David Hinkle — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:00:00 EST

We never believed that in the year 2013 we'd be talking about games found on a floppy disk, but Capybara Games has proven us wrong. The developer is bringing 3.5 inch floppy disks to PAX East housing copies of Capy Fine Racing GP - a new racing game featuring characters from games created by Capy and Double Fine.

Capy co-founder Nathan Vella told Edge that both developers teamed up to create the game, which seems like an excellent offering for the two studio sharing booth space in Boston. The game itself is described as an "OutRun-style racer."

If you won't be at PAX, the floppy disk will also be included in the 200 retail versions of the Double Fine/Capybara Games Steam collection. Those that get hands on the disks are encouraged to share.

"It's just something we did for pure fun and loving the idea of doing cool shit with our friends, in the spirit of the Capy Double Fine PAX combo. While it's totally a real game, it's also not at all a real game," Vella said.

Continue reading Capy Fine Racing GP is a game on a floppy disk at PAX East

Capy Fine Racing GP is a game on a floppy disk at PAX East originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes out now on iOS

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:30:00 EST

Capybara Games' Might and Magic Clash of Heroes is available now on iOS for $4.99. As noted in our mini review from earlier this month, an Android version should arrive sometime after nowish.

Clash of Heroes, a DS game that was HD-ified and ported to several other platforms, is a match-three puzzle game with fantasy armies. It's pretty... and pretty wonderful. If you've somehow missed it on every other platform up to now, don't miss out on it in its re-portableized version.

Gallery: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes (iOS)

Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes out now on iOS originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery now out on Android

David Hinkle — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 10:30:00 EST

If you missed your chance to grab the Android version of Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP during its surprise spotlight in the Humble Android Bundle 4, now's your time to pounce. The Android version is the full game, unchanged from its iOS and Steam siblings.

Sword & Sworcery on Android requires devices running OS 2.3 and higher, and is available as a $1.99 download on the Google Play store right now. It's a great game and, in the humble opinion of this editor, one of 2011's best.

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery now out on Android originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Dec 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fez programmer Renaud Bedard joins Capy

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:30:00 EST

Capy Games announced earlier this afternoon that Fez programmer Renaud Bedard has joined the team at the Critter Crunch, Clash of Heroes and Super TIME Force developer. Bedard was one half of the Polytron team, with Phil Fish, who put out the critically acclaimed game, Fez. The game's lengthy and volatile development was chronicled in Indie Game: The Movie (on Netflix streaming).

"The remaining employees of the Polytron Corp. would like to say goodbye and thank you to [Bedard] for all the years of amazing work," Fish tweeted out.

Asked for more details on how Bedard came to Capy, studio founder Nathan Vella told us that the company wasn't saying anything beyond the tweets it put out.

Fez programmer Renaud Bedard joins Capy originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canadian Indie Bundle on Steam: Superbrothers, Shanks and more

David Hinkle — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST

Our brothers and sisters in The Great White North are getting some time in the spotlight today with a new bundle on Steam. The Canadian Indie Bundle packages together games from Klei Entertainment, Capybara Games, Gaslamp Games and more for $14.99.

Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP, Shank and Shank 2 highlight this Canadian Indie Bundle, joined by Space Pirates and Zombies, Waveform, Hoard, Dungeons of Dredmor and Capsized. Many of the games in the bundle offer SteamPlay between Windows and Mac OSX.

Canadian Indie Bundle on Steam: Superbrothers, Shanks and more originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Critter Crunch barfs up on Steam Sept. 11

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 14:30:00 EST

Capybara Games' colorful puzzler Critter Crunch is gonna puke rainbow chunks September 11 all over Steam.

"The game will be available for both PC and Mac, support mouse/keyboard or controller and have all the great online modes - including the ability to play PC vs Mac and vice-versa," Capy founder Nathan Vella told us today. "All for the same $6.99. And barf. Rainbow barf."

Critter Crunch began life many moons ago as a mobile game, then became a high-profile PSN game and struggled in the the sales department. Critter Crunch was also available as an iOS title for a brief time, but due to complications at a higher level, Vella can only say, "The publisher chose to remove it from the app store."

Critter Crunch barfs up on Steam Sept. 11 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clash of Heroes free-to-play this weekend on Steam

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:30:00 EST

Capy, which has been making ripples in our continuum with Super TIME Force, will host an earlier effort, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, for half off and free to play this weekend on Steam.

Regularly priced at $14.99, the color-matching puzzle RPG will be $7.49, with the ability to try it out for free until Sunday at 1PM Pacific. Our review suggests you take Capy up on the offer.

Gallery: Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes HD (E3 2010)

Clash of Heroes free-to-play this weekend on Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The benefit of making mistakes in Super T.I.M.E. Force

David Hinkle — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:15:00 EST

Super T.I.M.E. Force puts a fresh emphasis on the process of encountering an obstacle, dying and then returning with the knowledge to overcome that hazard. The game's central mechanic lets you rewind the scene and start again, playing alongside the ghost of your past self.

Continue reading The benefit of making mistakes in Super T.I.M.E. Force

The benefit of making mistakes in Super T.I.M.E. Force originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP coming to Steam

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST

Capybara Games' award winning iOS action/adventure title Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP may be making the leap from mobile to desktop, according to a report at IGM. While no port has been officially announced by Capybara, a Steam registry crawler has uncovered its listing in the service's database, which indicates a release "in the next week or so."

We're keeping our fingers crossed, because contrary to popular belief, there are actually people in the world that don't own iPhones, iPads or iPods. Several members of the Joystiq staff fall into that category, as a matter of fact, and we're getting pretty dang tired of having critically acclaimed iOS games like Sword & Sworcery EP held over our heads by the other editors.

Report: Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP coming to Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Super T.I.M.E. Force infiltrating PAX East

David Hinkle — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST

When you first enter the outskirts of the Boston area, you may feel a certain sensation. Relax, that's not another Highlander in the vicinity, it's your body knowing that something special is about to happen. You're about to attend an awesome gaming convention and possibly come hang with your pals at Joystiq!

Today, we're glad to report the show will be even better: Capybara Games will have a playable build of Super T.I.M.E. Force at its booth, the developer has revealed. Super T.I.M.E. Force is an IGF 2012 entry and won the XBLA prize this year, meaning we'll see it arrive on Xbox Live Arcade eventually.

Capy will be situated at booth #764, so stop by if you want to play. You may have to push us out of the way, though -- fair warning and all of that.

Super T.I.M.E. Force infiltrating PAX East originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capy Games wins 'XBLA Award' and guaranteed MS publishing deal for Super T.I.M.E. Force

Ludwig Kietzmann — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:18:00 EST

Capy Games, developer of adorable guzzle-'em-up Critter Crunch and the gorgeous Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP, has won the Microsoft-sponsored "XBLA Prize" during the 14th Annual Independent Games Festival Awards, held this evening in San Francisco. The recipients receive a rare digital copy of the now-delisted advergame, Yaris.

No, wait, it says here they get a guaranteed first-party publishing deal via Microsoft's Live service, including Xbox Live Arcade, Windows Phone and Windows ... Computer. In this case, the game headed to XBLA is Super T.I.M.E. Force!

The award comes with a few other bonuses too: Microsoft will provide funding to complete the game if necessary, and augment its development with several first-party support services, including usability, testing, and a guy who never looks up from his Blackberry.

Capy Games wins 'XBLA Award' and guaranteed MS publishing deal for Super T.I.M.E. Force originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The original plan: Sword and Sworcery in seven months for $110,000

David Hinkle — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:15:00 EST

The best laid plans ...

GDC is a great place for budding developers to learn from other, more seasoned developers. During a postmortem focusing on the success of Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP, Capy president and co-founder Nathan Vella admitted the game ended up going over budget and past its planned launch late -- it's more common than you think in game development.

The original plan for Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP was a seven-month development cycle, with a budget of around $110,000. In the end, the game ended up costing "around $200,000" over the course of 18 months. As of today, 350,000 individuals have spun some vinyl.

After his talk, I got some face time with Vella to ask him about a personal curiosity: Twitter integration. Some games have caught flak for it, but the smart implementation and voice of the tweets in Superbrothers -- written in the same narrative style of the game -- caused a new trend in iOS gaming.

"The intention was always to give people the ability to broadcast something they enjoyed about the game," Vella told me. "I love that about the game. I even loved it when people were talking shit about it like crazy. I think the Twitter part of it was important because people loved the dialogue, the way that Craig wrote it, and blast Twitter -- it's important to me and it's important to the project, to know that we made something that somebody wants to put out there. And it was always a choice: you choose to press two buttons to tweet something, if you care about it. I would definitely make that call again."

Finally, when asked by another attendee about a PC port of Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP, Vella slyly replied, "No comment on that question."

The original plan: Sword and Sworcery in seven months for $110,000 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sword and Sworcery EP: 350K units swold

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:45:00 EST

iOS title Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP has sold 350,000 units life to date, Capy president Nathan Vella revealed at GDC 2012 today.

The long-form game, which took 18 months to develop, has done incredibly well on the app store, despite having "small amount of birds, no fruit, limited water," which have all become cliche requirements for iOS success.

"Everyone isn't a demographic," Vella noted. "Target a niche due to iOS scale, niches can be huge."

He said two-thirds of all sales were on the iPad universal app and that three quarters of revenue were made on the universal app. He also noted that the title going on discount only accounted for 10 percent of sales, meaning the game had a potential audience that was willing to pay full price for the experience.

Vella feels Sword & Sworcery is a good case that longer experiences can fit on the iOS platform and targeting "everyone" isn't the only way.

Sword and Sworcery EP: 350K units swold originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Find the time to check out Super T.I.M.E. Force

David Hinkle — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:15:00 EST

It's an IGF 2012 entry and, now that we've seen it in action, easily one of our most anticipated games. Super T.I.M.E. Force looks like distilled chaos, only in space. With guns. And giant explosions. Obviously this teaser piqued our interest, so we talked to Capybara Games president Nathan Vella for some more info.

He wouldn't budge on platforms, but told us we shouldn't expect to see this on iOS platforms. He told us he hopes to see the game in "lots of places," but "until we have ink on paper" he can't say with any kind of certainty.

Vella says the idea for the game originated at the Toronto Game Jam, where three of Capy's guys came up with the concept. It's been expanded since, though Vella says there isn't a rush to get this out the door. The studio is taking its time with it, so don't expect to get your hands on it anytime soon.

Find the time to check out Super T.I.M.E. Force originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes lines up on Steam

David Hinkle — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:15:00 EST

Developer Capybara Games has confirmed that Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes will be available for download on Steam today -- wait, scratch that. It's available for download right now! The Steam version of the game will set you back $14.99, only supports Windows (sorry, Mac users) and boasts full Steamworks integration, including achievements, leaderboards and cloud saves.

If you've yet to hear about Capy's wonderful title, might we point you toward our review? In addition to the launch of the actual game on Steam, you can also snag the I Am the Boss DLC for $2.99. Great, now we've got that damn song stuck in our head again.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes lines up on Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sword & Sworcery EP and LP on swale today

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:20:00 EST

To celebrate the equinox, the magical Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP and LP are on sale today. The regularly priced $4.99 iPad edition and $2.99 iPhone version of the EP video game are down to $1.99 and $0.99, respectively. The soundtrack, which is usually $7.99, is discounted to "pay what you can."

What happens if you miss this sale today? We're going to bet the next major discount will occur during the solstice in three months. Call it a hunch.

Sword & Sworcery EP and LP on swale today originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capybara, Metanet helping to develop Sound Shapes

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:30:00 EST

This morning, while thoroughly enjoying a preview of Queasy Games' next project, Sound Shapes for the PlayStation Vita, I had a chance to chat with project leads Jonathan Mak and Shaw-Han Liem. Given Mak's past with game development (Everyday Shooter), I wondered how much his team had grown since its first Sony game -- and accidentally stumbled on a really exciting detail about the forthcoming music/platformer. "It started with us two, then there were four of us, then there were six, then there were eight," Liem told me.

"We have some people helping, on contract," said Mak. "Capybara Games is helping us, Metanet is helping us. We're all friends in Toronto." It seems that, beyond the small group of people employed under the "Queasy Games" umbrella, folks from acclaimed indie dev houses Capybara Games (Critter Crunch) and Metanet (N+) are putting work into Sound Shapes.

Mak further noted, "A lof of these levels are actually Capy," referencing the levels I played in the preview build on-hand. He also explained to me that the folks at Queasy iterate on the levels before they make it into the game. Which isn't to say that the only folks working on Sound Shapes are Queasy Games and the aforementioned duo of dev houses.

"All the indie game companies in Toronto hang out together and help each other out," Liem explained. "For us, I think a lot of the stuff that we're doing is new to us, or stuff that we're doing for the first time. So to be able to draw upon the people who've gone through it before is really great."

Gallery: Sound Shapes (E3 2011)

Capybara, Metanet helping to develop Sound Shapes originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sword and Sworcery EP down to $1 today, pay what you want for the soundtrack

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 10:30:00 EST

If you've yet to pick up Superbrothers' strange and magical iOS title, Sword and Sworcery EP, you'll want to correct that humiliating omission before day's end. For today only, the game's been marked down to $0.99 on iPhone and $1.99 on iPad, and its soundtrack is temporarily pay-what-you-want.

Continue reading Sword and Sworcery EP down to $1 today, pay what you want for the soundtrack

Sword and Sworcery EP down to $1 today, pay what you want for the soundtrack originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA staffer says goodbye with Swords & Sworcery-esque creation

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:00:00 EST

EA Tiburon just lost software engineer Ben Burbank. And while the Madden franchise will charge on without him, Burbank made a special creation to remember the people he worked with while at EA. Titled "So Long, Old Friends," the interactive goodbye letter remembers the individuals and teams that shaped his time at the publisher -- from the team behind NFL Head Coach to the folks who work on the annual Madden installment.

Visually inspired by Capybara's Superbrothers: Swords & Sworcery EP, the game was built entirely in Flixel, Adam "Atomic" Saltsman's open-source coding engine. And like S:S&SEP, Burbank's creation is more of an "experience" than a "game" (in the strictest sense). It's also rather touching, which is why we can't suggest enough that you spend the five minutes required to check it out.

EA staffer says goodbye with Swords & Sworcery-esque creation originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 May 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP journeys to iPhone this week

JC Fletcher — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:30:00 EST

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, the artsy, jokey, pretty adventure game from Capy, musician Jim Guthrie, and artist Superbrothers, is launching a two-pronged assault on iPhone this week.

The iPad version of the game will receive a free update "shortly before Thursday, April 21st 2011" that makes it a Universal app compatible with iPhones and iPod Touches. At the same time, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP Micro will be added to the App Store. It's "the same exact videogame," but in a version compatible only with iPhone-size devices (3G and newer, but not "super smooth on 3G.")

"The S:S&S EP project began life on the smaller touchtronic machines," the announcement notes, "so many of the key art & design decisions were made with this very particular form factor in mind." The iPhone version is "definitely 'the way it was meant to be' - it's an entire little world you can slip into your pocket at any time."

Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP journeys to iPhone this week originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clash of Heroes HD trailer teaches the tactics of puzzle-fighting

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:45:00 EST

Missed out on Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes when it originally launched in 2009? You don't have to go into the HD remake, due out next week, completely uninformed -- check out the video after the jump to learn the basic mechanics of the game's rows-and-columns combat.

Continue reading Clash of Heroes HD trailer teaches the tactics of puzzle-fighting

Clash of Heroes HD trailer teaches the tactics of puzzle-fighting originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP comes to iPad on Thursday

David Hinkle — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:30:00 EST

Developer Capy has been quite adamant that Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP would launch during the "vernal equinox" -- and now the developer has finally deciphered that gibberish, revealing a March 24 launch date. We're pretty sure "vernal" isn't a word, guys!

This Thursday, pokers and prodders looking for something new to play on their iPads should be able to download the self-professed "crude videogame haiku about life, love & death." As previously reported, the soundtrack will launch two weeks after the iPad game and two weeks prior to the iPhone/iPod Touch version, which has a tentative April launch window right now. And if you're still feeling a bit lost, why not check out our thumbs-on preview of the game from back in early March?

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP comes to iPad on Thursday originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capy's 'Zombie Tactics' on hold, studio too busy

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:30:00 EST

Capy President Nathan Vella told us at PAX East that the prematurely exposed Zombie Tactics is "on hold."

"It's not on hold because it sucks," Vella explained. "It's on hold because we have other stuff first." Capy is currently prepping for the iOS launches of Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP and the release of Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes HD on XBLA and PSN in mid-April. The studio is also working on other "unannounced projects."

Vella believes the prototype for Zombie Tactics, which he told us has hints of Valkyria Chronicles gameplay peppered in, is great. However, he feels the zombie genre is just a tad saturated at the moment.

Gallery: Zombie Tactics (working title)

Capy's 'Zombie Tactics' on hold, studio too busy originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sword and Sworcery launch plans detailed

Alexander Sliwinski — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST

Capy's iOS title Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP has maintained its approximate iPad release date of "vernal equinox" (March 21) and now we have further audio and iPhone launch details.

Capy's Nathan Vella told us at PAX East that two weeks after the iPad launch that the company will release a vinyl LP of the game's music (at Bandcamp). Don't worry if the words "vinyl LP" don't mean a thing to you, the music will also be available at iTunes.

The iPhone version will launch "a month" after the iPad version (or two weeks after the LP, depending on how you want to tell time). The only difference between the iPad and iPhone versions will be the resolution and a couple dollars in price.

Sword and Sworcery launch plans detailed originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here's a big list of developers and publishers working on NGP projects

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:20:00 EST

Beyond the handful of games revealed onstage during last night's big Sony event, an enormous list of developers and publishers currently working on games for this holiday's "next generation portable" device has surfaced. Game Informer posted up the entire list broken down by region, which features big names like Activision, Ubisoft, 2K Games, Square Enix, and Capcom.

Perhaps more notable than the big name publishers is the group of listed developers, including Rockstar Games, Capybara Games, From Software, and Grasshopper Manufacture. As GI points out, both Electronic Arts and THQ (and their respective development studios) aren't currently listed as working on games for NGP, though we imagine that will change as the year goes on (we already know that EA has had exposure to the in-development system).

Continue reading Here's a big list of developers and publishers working on NGP projects

Here's a big list of developers and publishers working on NGP projects originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Assassin's Creed 2, Dragon Age: Origins win Canadian game awards

David Hinkle — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:00:00 EST

We like to playfully rip on Canada every now and then (America's hat!), but we must admit that The Great White North knows how to make some quality games, evidenced by the winners at the inaugural Canadian Videogame Awards ceremony. While Game of the Year went to Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 made out with the most awards, winning Best Console Game, Best Visual Arts, and Best Game Design, and sharing the award for Best Technology with Radical Entertainment's Prototype.

That's not to say all of the awards went to the triple-A titles, as Toronto's own darling, Capybara Games, received nods for two of its titles: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, which won Best Handheld Game, and Critter Crunch, which secured victory as the Best Downloadable Game. Maybe now that cute little guy will stop crying so much!

[Thanks, Alan Strangis]

Assassin's Creed 2, Dragon Age: Origins win Canadian game awards originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 May 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capy porting Clash of Heroes to PSN and XBLA

JC Fletcher — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:20:00 EST

If, for some reason, you didn't purchase and love Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes on DS -- or even if you did -- you'll have the opportunity to buy the puzzle RPG on two new systems this year, in glorious hand-drawn HD. Capybara Games has revealed a new PSN/XBLA version of Clash of Heroes, with totally redrawn graphics that eschew the 16-bit look of the DS original for more realistic proportions and a generally sharper look.

In addition, new equippable artifacts are being added, and the existing ones tweaked, to improve balance in multiplayer. Even better, you'll now be able to go back and replay segments of the game after completing them. Capy expects to release Clash of Heroes in late summer.

[Via GameSetWatch]

Capy porting Clash of Heroes to PSN and XBLA originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSN leaderboards point to top game downloads for January

Randy Nelson — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:45:00 EST

Gamasutra wasn't able to get its hands on year-to-date PSN sales data directly from Sony, but it has come up with some interesting conclusions based on an unscientific look at ... leaderboard stats. The site broke down January's new releases, as well as a few other games that sold well last month, and the big debut of the month appears to be Hustle Kings, which added over 39,000 players to its ranks. Assault Heroes only picked up 754 new players, but given that it's a game that actually came out in 2006 on the Xbox, that's not a big surprise. PSN also offered up its "10 for '10" sale in January, and Uno came away from that event with a whopping 87,000 new players on its leaderboards. Braid and Critter Crunch also did well, adding 20,000 and 17,000 new players to their leaderboards, respectively.

Keep in mind that these numbers are far from official, and not complete anyway -- Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment, Thexder Neo and Matt Hazard were released on PSN last month, and none of those games are included in this analysis, due to unreliable or nonexistent leaderboards. But it is probably fair to say that PSN had a pretty good month in January, especially with the games featured in its "10 for '10" sale. More of that, please.

PSN leaderboards point to top game downloads for January originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Critter Crunch gets 'less insane' in new patch

Andrew Yoon — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:30:00 EST

Sure, Critter Crunch is cute. But it is also barf-inducingly hard. Thankfully, a new patch (releasing today) will help make the more challenging stages "less insane." In addition, the patch adds support for in-game XMB music, so you can play while listening to your extensive Miley Cyrus collection. The full patch notes are below:

Additions:

XMB Audio support
Language select available for all!
Hey losers! You get a little XP even if you lose in multiplayer

Tweaks:

Player feedback regarding DIFFICULT LEVELS has been taken to heart. Tough levels got a little less insane!
Coop networking tweaks to decrease pesky lag
Multiplayer "Disconnects" are now awarded more accurately
Catching a jewel while feeding glorious vomit to your son will no longer interrupt you
Your rank will now be retrieved more reliably when playing Adventure

Nasty bug fixes:

No more annoying audio glitch
No more Wins/Losses upload issues when the server is in "'maintenance" mode
Player score for Challenge levels now correctly handled in ALL cases
"Barf Success" icon now shows up correctly in ALL cases
"King of the Jungle" Trophy now successfully unlocks correctly even with a score of 0

Critter Crunch gets 'less insane' in new patch originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Critter Crunch and Burn Zombie Burn half-off today on Amazon [update]

Andrew Yoon — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST

You have officially run out of excuses for not purchasing Capybara's hyper-cute PSN puzzler, Critter Crunch. Amazon.com is currently selling game codes for half off the usual $7 price -- that's only $3.49!

It's likely that the PlayStation Store will also price-match this deal when it updates later today. But do you want to risk missing out on one heck of a deal? We think not.

Update: Burn Zombie Burn is also on sale for half off the usual $10 price. That's $5!

[Via @superpac]

Critter Crunch and Burn Zombie Burn half-off today on Amazon [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie devs struggle to find the perfect iPhone price

Justin McElroy — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:00:00 EST

The ease of getting your game onto the iPhone is something of a double-edged sword for indie devs. On the one hand, it's an amazing opportunity to get your pride and joy in front of millions. On the other, though, the amount of competition is pushing prices way lower than some devs are comfortable with. Or as Nathan Vella, co-founder of Toronto-based Critter Crunch/Clash of Heroes developer Capybara Games, so directly put it to Gamasutra "The push to 99 cents is the single most frustrating and terrible thing about App Store pricing." Read the full piece if you'd like a better understanding of why indies are pricing they way they do.

Though we understand their frustration, we're surprised there's not more hand wringing about all those free games littering the App Store, since we know so many people who refuse to pay cash for any game on the mobile platform. Do you have any purchasing guidelines you try to stick by?

Indie devs struggle to find the perfect iPhone price originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Critter Crunch dev working on 'Heartbeat' for WiiWare

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST

Capybara Games, developer of PSN darling Critter Crunch, is working on Heartbeat for WiiWare. The title is the company's entry for the 2010 Independent Games Festival and is described as being about the "experience of growing sounds." Heartbeat's game description explains it has players starting with an "ambient whisper" and growing the "music" there, which we remember being the idea behind Electroplankton -- an idea that may or may not have manifested depending on how one feels.

IGN describes the game as involving the use of the Wiimote to control a "heart-shaped cursor," which triggers sounds, activates objects and keeps the beat going. There's no word on a release date. We contacted Capybara for a video of Heartbeat, so we could wrap our eyes around the game's concept, but were told the game isn't "together" or "stylish" enough to show at the moment. The dev hopes to share something in a couple months.

Critter Crunch dev working on 'Heartbeat' for WiiWare originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Critter Crunch dev praises Sony's support of indie games

Andrew Yoon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST

"They support the living sh*t out of it, and they support it really well," Capybara's Nathan Vella told Gamasutra when talking about Sony's free PhyreEngine. "Any of the parts that are inside Phyre that we didn't know how to fix or we had an issue with, they would fix it for us in a day. Overall, I think Sony's doing a lot of right stuff for small independent developers."

Vella's praise echoes similar sentiments from other PSN developers, like Shatter's Mario Wynands. In addition to free development tools, Vella noted other benefits by partnering with Sony. Critter Crunch was promoted heavily on the PlayStation Network via the PlayStation.Blog, Pulse and banners on the PlayStation Store. Most importantly, though, Sony "treated us like we weren't a small nobody developer from Toronto."

In spite of Sony's best intentions, though, Vella notes that sales aren't quite where they should be on the PSN. "It's still a fraction of what XBLA is doing, and we know that," he admitted. "But that's okay for us because they let us do what we wanted to do." Apparently what they want to do now is work on a zombie game.

Critter Crunch dev praises Sony's support of indie games originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie devs incorporate 'Edge' into titles to lure out Tim Langdell

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST

Indie developers are having a little fun at the expense of trademark troll Tim Langdell. As TouchArcade reports, several devs have created mock games to get under the skin of the abusive IP bugaboo, who pops up like a rabid prairie dog when a company uses the word "edge" in a video game. In response to Langdell's attack on Killer Edge Racing, several indie devs have jokingly renamed their games. Fez is now Fedge and Critter Crunch has vomited out Critter Credge.

In their posts on the name changes, the developers use the word "edge" as many times as is edgeingly possible to edge in there with edginess. Inspired by Langdell, we are currently discussing with our attorneys if we can trademark the words "war," "warfare," ... oh wait, "Mario," yes! That's where the infringement bucks really are.

Indie devs incorporate 'Edge' into titles to lure out Tim Langdell originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trophies: Critter Crunch

Andrew Yoon — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:20:00 EST

	0 Platinum 1 Gold 2 Silver 11 Bronze	Difficulty: Difficult Online Trophies? Yes Time to Completion: 20 hours DLC Trophies? No
	View Trophy List	Read More About the Game

Gallery: Critter Crunch (PSN)

Continue reading Trophies: Critter Crunch

Trophies: Critter Crunch originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Critter Crunch dev working on new zombie game

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

The Ontario Media Development Corporation has accidentally exposed Zombie Tactics, a new game by Critter Crunch developer Capybara Games. We contacted the developer, who told us that Zombie Tactics is merely the "working title" at the moment. Capy President Nathan Vella tells Joystiq that it's likely way too early to talk about the game, but mentions, "In short, it's a tactics-heavy strategy-meets-survival game that revolves around an ever-growing -- and/or shrinking -- group of characters as they try to escape the city. Right now we haven't even committed to actually making the game - just iterating on a functional prototype to see if the idea has legs. If it does, awesome!"

As for platforms, Vella continued, "We're developing the prototype on consoles, but it's so early on, it's impossible to tell if it will even make it to a platform. As a studio, we're huge fans of PSN, XBLA, iPhone, DS... so really we feel like our concepts could end up one of many places. Ideally though, we'd like to see it as a downloadable game, but it's important to reiterate that, as it stands right now, the game is ridiculously early in the prototyping phase, so Capy isn't sure where, when or even if this will have a platform."

Asked whether the company will still develop for PSN following Critter Crunch's launch, Vella told us Capy still has more in the pipe for PSN. The company would also like to bring Critter Crunch to other platforms, mentioning PC and noting that fans have asked for a PSP Minis version. Anything that stops Biggs from crying is good in our book.

Update: Capy sent over some "very early art" of the game.

[Via Gamerbytes]

Gallery: Zombie Tactics (working title)

Critter Crunch dev working on new zombie game originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Critter Crunch consumer consumption saddening, demo releasing next week

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST

Critter Crunch sales haven't been all sunshine and rainbow vomit for developer Capybara Games. The Examiner took note of a post on NeoGAF in which a representative for the developer said the team was "very sad" because the game is "not selling so hot." He went on to say that next week's demo will hopefully spur more folks to gobble down the adorably disturbing puzzler.

The $7 price for entry easily makes Critter Crunch one of the best values on the PSN, so what went wrong? The entire situation reminds us of a panel we attended at the Game Developers Conference this year, where several developers of downloadable titles noted that sales for digitally distributed titles drop off dramatically during the holiday season. Braid's Jonathan Blow noted that "March or June or August" are the release windows that downloadable game developers should hope for.

Honestly, if Capybara wants to push some sales, it'll send us a picture of its little guy crying (no, sobbing) and we'll use it in a post to break people's hearts and guilt them into buying the game.

Update: It'll break your heart.

[Via Destructoid]

Critter Crunch consumer consumption saddening, demo releasing next week originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSN Thursday: Vomit up $7 for Critter Crunch, support the disgustingly adorable

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:10:00 EST

There are many, many titles on the PSN that have amazing art atop a relatively simple gameplay concept. Capybara's Critter Crunch is no exception. However, we'd advocate it may deserve a purchase for its premise alone: Adorable fuzzball eats cutesy creatures and then vomits them up in a rainbow into another even-more-darling puff's mouth. How can you not support the mind that came up with that? Check out the full PSN update after the break.

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:

(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

Gallery: Critter Crunch (PSN)

Continue reading PSN Thursday: Vomit up $7 for Critter Crunch, support the disgustingly adorable

PSN Thursday: Vomit up $7 for Critter Crunch, support the disgustingly adorable originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Critter Crunch trailer is nauseatingly cute

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST

We speak a lot about the adorable properties of Capybara's roly-poly puzzle title, Critter Crunch, but we think they truly come out in the title's latest trailer, seen above. It's easy for developers to create fuzzy creatures that make our hearts go a-flutter -- it's considerably more difficult to make those creatures remain precisely that cute while they vomit into each other's mouths. In fact, it almost makes them cuter. We know it defies logic, but you're going to have to trust us on this one.

Critter Crunch trailer is nauseatingly cute originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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