Gravity Duck Islands: Official Trailer

     Ravenous Games has just released the trailer for the portable puzzle-platformer Gravity Duck, called Gravity Duck Islands.  Once again, players take up the mantle of the Gravity Duck and his wonderful ability to ignore the laws of physics and travel to 4 different islands, each with a their own unique method of puzzle solving.  In addition to jumping, we can now inflate, phase, and teleport through the levels.

     In addition, there will be hats.

     Lots and lots of hats, purchasable via in-game collectible rubber duckies*.

     Gravity Duck Islands will be available in the App Store Sept. 17th.


     *Or at least that's how it appears they are obtained.

Gravity Duck: Review

     Noodlecake Studios with Woblyware and Ravenous Games have produced another simple 2D platformer that manages to be both interesting and consistently mundane.  That isn't to say it isn't worth playing though.

     The premise is that a massive Easter Island looking stone head wants you, a duck, to collect all his golden eggs.  But this plot is barely given much thought- the chief draw here is the ability that the head bestows upon the duck- to flip gravity.  You can't jump at all, you simply reverse gravity and fall in the opposite direction.

A giant stone head and a duck.  What more could you ask for?

     This simple new power is used in conjunction with some gravity rotating yellow orbs to solve roughly 100 levels of short puzzles.  There is nothing to strenuous in terms of puzzles- nothing to rack your brain with- but the concept does prove to be fun enough to want to keep playing.  The lack of challenge is low enough that you can nearly always tell what to do as soon as the level begins.

     The downsides are the controls were occasionally unresponsive leaving players slightly frustrated when a lack of response movement leads directly to death.  In addition, sometimes you need to dive blindly into areas and die because your view is severely limited in places (no camera movement).  Once in a while the enemy laden areas need a bit of trial and error to figure out due to their swiftness, but it isn't too awful.

A fashionable top-hat is the reward for collecting all the golden eggs.

     For only a dollar, Gravity Duck provides plenty of simple, cute, and pixely puzzling entertainment.  Perhaps the gravity manipulation and level design for the coming "City" DLC will prove to add a little more variety for our entertainment.  I hope they add some more progression, balance, and flow to the levels and challenge to come- I would like more of a sense of achievement from the puzzles- something a little more like a 2D version of the phenomenal PS Vita game Gravity Rush.  There is a wide range with the concept they've used, if only they'd take it to the next level of its potential.

Gravity Duck Sequel "Islands": Coming Soon!

     Ravenous Games has a history of making great small games- from their Random Heroes and League of Evil series' to the Devious Dungeons up to their newest release Infestor- they have become known for quality games for mobile devices.

     This newest announcement is a sequel to Gravity Duck, subtitled Islands.  In the new game players take Gravity Duck on an adventure across 4 different islands, each granting you a different ability, expanding on the gravity flipping of the first installment.  Players can look forward to a multitude of puzzle-solving goodness.

Each island has a unique ability: Jump, Float, Teleport, and Phase.

     No set release date has been given, Gravity Duck: Islands is "Coming Soon."

     It also has not been announced whether it'll be available for iOS, Android, or both.

Infestor: Short Review (Android)

     Ravenous Games' latest Android mobile game is Infestor.  Another pixel-art retro platforming-puzzler done with flair and brilliant game design.  The game has the same appearance and difficulty as their Random Heroes and League of Evil series', which is a great thing.

     What Infestor has done with this new game is more akin to their game Gravity Duck as opposed to the other more action oriented titles Ravenous is known for.  It focuses more on using the role of a mind-controlling bio-weapon slime escaping a military facility- forcing players to solve puzzles instead of resorting brute force to get through levels.

     The levels are puzzles gradually getting more complex and difficult over time, filled with a variety of humans to take over in an effort to get through.  Each of the human types has individual abilities, such as construction workers being able to push boxes around or a general being able to open locked doorways.  Players must use each of the abilities to find an escape to the next level.  Even abandoning a host is useful- when you leave them their head explodes in a humorous and satisfying splortch noise and gives you a nice jump boost to reach higher platforms.  There's nothing too strenuous to solve, it is an even and well-balanced challenge growth through the game.

     The negatives of the game are small, nothing big enough to dissuade from giving the game a chance.  Players can get caught on parts of the landscape, occasionally the buttons will be unresponsive, and I noticed that any jumps that touch a wall or ceiling halt progress and drop you like a rock, usually resulting in failure of the level.  But because the levels aren't very long, even towards the game, it isn't too much of a hassle- just a mild annoyance.

     Infestor is another entertaining game in the trademark Ravenous style.  The threadbare plot is just enough, and it ends in a way that teases a potential sequel, that I will be eagerly awaiting.

Pug's Quest: Ravenous Games' Upcoming Puzzle Platformer

     Ravenous Games, creators of great games such as Devious Dungeon, Gravity Duck, their respective sequels, and the more recent Infestor, have announced their newest title Pug's Quest.

A Cute Pixelated, Puppy Puzzle Platformer. This Pug Deserves a Treat!

     Here's what Ravenous has said about the game:

Hey everyone! We have a new game in development called Pug's Quest. It's a semi turn-based puzzle platformer. You control a pug that hops one tile at a time trying to navigate the world. 

We have some fun new additions to our game engine that should add some fresh new level designs. We've added collapsing tile platforms, slippery (ice) tiles, switches, puzzle mechanics (lights, numbers and word puzzles). There will also be some hedgemazes in the game you will have to navigate through.

     Also, according to their post on the Touch Arcade forums, the game is expected to be finished by the end of February.  Ravenous always make solid games that are very well made.  Simple art, great controls and sound, and much more importantly, they are always fun.
     Pug's Quest sounds no different and I am looking forward to buying it.

     Source [ Touch Arcade ]