KAMI RETRO Update 1.1 goes live

Since the release of KAMI RETRO we have had a few App Store reviews where people didn’t understand what to flick. Since having a step back from the game and then revisiting it we found that the first tutorial could easily have been misinterpreted as flicking the screen and not through the character. To address this we have added a new tutorial 




Additionally we have also added an in-game hint in the form of a speech bubble to help make what to flick clearer.

Update 1.1 also adds a couple of free costumes in the new bonus section. There is a bear - 

and also a Cat -

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KAMI RETRO - Design and Development

KAMI RETRO is a fusion of games such as Lemmings, Mario Vs Donkey Kong and Bills Tomato Game. We also used our original IPhone title, KamiCrazy as a building block for KAMI RETRO, by taking feedback from review sites, App Store reviews, friends and all of you who sent us feedback.

After collating the feedback from KamiCrazy, we found the prominent issue stemmed from the player not being able to use the controls as effectively as we hoped. This led to frustration when controlling the in game characters. For KAMI RETRO we have invested a lot of time evolving our gesture system. We have received more user feedback, performed closed beta tests and have worked in an iterative manner until all feedback we received was positive. There is nothing worse than being defeated by a game and being left with a feeling that it wasn’t the users fault, but instead the fault of the game not responding correctly.

Controlling multiple characters at once using gestures was never going to be easy. For instance, what happens when you flick to jump a character and there's another one behind it? Do they both jump or should it only be the closest to the gesture that jumps? If you swipe horizontally through a couple of character should the closest turn or both? We asked ourselves many questions like this. For these specific cases we decided that when flicking to jump, only one character would be affected but when swiping through to turn then all would be. After evolving the gesture system and adding various context filters we realised we had to scale back the character numbers from the original because it became too insane. Four KAMIs seemed a more manageable number so we settled on that.

The aim of the game is simple: get the KAMIs from the green entrance to the red exit and collect all the retro stars along the way. We set out to design a casual game where puzzles would gradually become more complex. As the player progresses we introduce multi-management where another KAMI will spawn before the previous has reached the exit, forcing the user to simultaneously control more than one character at a time. This has the effect of increasing the intensity of the game and making it more difficult to gain the full three retro star award at level completion. On the subject of retro stars, these were a nod to the coloured flashing collectibles in the ZX Spectrum classic Jet Set Willy.

To break things up a little we also added the Star Run levels where the player is given sixty seconds to collect all the visible stars. We have since found many people tend to enjoy these levels more than the story levels, which we find interesting. It will certainly be food for thought as we design updates for KAMI RETRO and work on future projects.

When we decided to do a retro version of KamiCrazy we didn’t want it to look like it was made in the 8-bit era. Instead we wanted it to be influenced by it. We set out to create a retro inspired game using elements from the old 8-bit games and more modern takes on the genre such as 3D Dot Game Heroes on the XBox 360. We’ll make a post at a later date with more press and public feedback, but one comment from a review I’d like to share with you that we feel sums our RETRO visual style:

“Back in the dim, distant and possibly musty past, publishers rarely bothered to put so much as a screenshot on the back of the box [...] Instead, most resorted to illustrating their wares with a kind of 'artist's impression' generally a stylish-looking pixellated LEGO man in colourfully blocky environments. It was a gigantic lie, obviously, especially as games never ever looked like this. Until now. Because Kami Retro essentially brings the lies of the past to life, in what amounts to Lemmings re-imagined as a hyperactive platformer. Sounds good?”.

Eurogamer, 2011

This certainly sums up our intention and we hope this opinion is shared by the wider public.

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Featured in the Manchester Evening News

Paw Print Games featured in the Manchester Evening News last night. We have already had a lot of online press coverage, and even a radio interview, but breaking through into mainstream media is very satisfying. We designed KAMI RETRO to be a casual game that can be enjoyed by all; it is therefore likely a significant part of the target audience will not frequent online gamer web sites. Mainstream coverage from the radio and papers means the casual gamer has the opportunity to see/read/hear about KAMI RETRO.

To get the levels of success of games such as Angry Birds and Cut the Rope we feel you need to have people talking about the game. Word of mouth can be one of the largest factors in a games success so we are very pleased we have been both featured in newspapers and by Apple.

Now it is over to you, the reader, to spread KAMI RETRO by word of mouth to your friends and family - only if you like the game of course! If not please get in touch with us. We are keen to work with the end user to improve the playing experience. We have more updates on the way, and user feedback is what drives the content of each update.

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KAMI RETRO receives glowing reviews

We have been getting some great reviews lately so we would like to thank everybody that has bought KAMI RETRO. Here is a collection of quotes and links to the reviews -

Combines equal parts platforming and line-drawing strategy into an experience that's as addictive as it is old-school cool. - Game of the Week on the US App Store.

Kristan Reed from Eurogamer writes "Levels come thick and fast, but what starts off as a charming, casual diversion soon bares its teeth and has you utterly absorbed in its gorgeous and inventive platform puzzle madness." 8/10 - Full Article

Mike Fahey from Kotaku writes "Take Mario's platforming, Lemmings' life-saving gameplay, add a hint of urgency and colorfully pixelated 3D graphics, and you're just scratching the surface of Kami Retro, the must-play puzzle platformer for the iPhone and iPod Touch.” Full Article

Tracy Erikson from PocketGamer gives KAMI RETRO a silver award and writes “Platform puzzle game Kami Retro is Super Mario's evil doppelganger.” 8/10 - Full Article

Andrew Podolski from Slide To Play writes “Kami Retro is every retro gamer's dream come true. Combining platforming aspects from classics like Pitfall, Super Mario Bros, and Lemmings, Kami Retro is the most original, beautiful, and addictive iOS puzzler we've played since Cut The Rope.” 4/4 - Full Article

Levi Buchanan from IGN writes “Kami Retro is a tough little game – but I had a great time playing it. Yes, I’m a total sucker for the 8-bit paper art. But that’s just gravy poured over smart action-puzzle play. I was hooked from the get-go, trying to get a perfect three-star rating for every stage. Can’t really give you a better recommendation than that.” 8/10 - Full Article

Travis Broyles from Gizmodo writes "KAMI RETRO is a godsend for all hyperactive mobile gamers. You can keep your sudokus and solitaires. We'll take KAMI RETRO." - Full Article

Ryan Rigney of GamePro writes "A solid platformer with fresh mechanics and fantastic presentation, and it really shouldn't be missed." 4/5 - Full Article

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Radio killed the video star

Steve, one of the founders of Paw Print Games has lived in Manchester for the last five years, and has regularly listened to Manchester's Key103 radio station on his commute to work. When the opportunity came up to give a five minute, peak time interview about KAMI RETRO to up to a million listeners he jumped at the chance.

You can listen to the full interview by clicking here

Our main concern now is making sure Steve doesn’t let all this fame go to his head. Several people have got in contact mentioning they heard the interview on the radio - no autograph requests yet though!

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KAMI RETRO hits the appstore

Paw Print Games are pleased to announce that KAMI RETRO is now available on the App Store. After a year of part time development, a few weeks of intensive full time development, and a final few day stint of attempting to work more than 24 hours per day, our hard work has finally paid off: KAMI RETRO has received Game of the Week commendation from Apple on launch. We are delighted Apple have enjoyed our game and hope all of you enjoy it as much.

Deciding on a price for KAMI RETRO was difficult. We analysed the current charts looking at the average price, the variety of content quality and the in game depth for each of the pricing tiers. We then looked at our own product and found a pricing point that we felt enabled KAMI RETRO to be competitive and also value for money.

We are keen to get as much feedback on KAMI RETRO as possible. We have updates planned but your feedback will shape what our efforts are concentrated on, so please feel free to email us.

Everyone here at Paw Print Games hopes you enjoy playing KAMI RETRO. As for now, we are off to get some sleep before moving our focus over to IPad and Android...

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