From GDC: LandFormer - Upcoming Puzzle Game From Streaming Colour
by Staff Writer
March 19, 2010
The game is based on the gameplay mechanic he developed at the iPhone Game Jam during 360iDev last year. The game he created in the 10 hour coding session was UpDown which is a brain teasing puzzle game which looked basic (see screenshot), but already had challenging gameplay. The game is about raising every piece in a level to a height of zero, and you're able to alter piece height using specific patterns in the form of brushes.
LandFormer maintains the same brain teasing gameplay, but builds on the graphics. You're given a 5 x 5 grid with six brushes, and you need to raise the ocean, and drop the mountains to one uniform flatland. Each brush has a different pattern, and you need to use them in a correct order to move all of the land in many different ways until completion.
Owen said the idea of the game is as though you're playing a god moving the land. The game is still in development, and the game will still get additions including shaking effects when moving the land, as well as particle effects from the shifting ground. A level editor will also be included so after you've slammed your head into the wall from playing Owen's puzzles you can make your own to send the punishment on to your friends.
At GDC I only played the tutorial levels, and still had a problem completing a couple levels. You will get stuck numerous times, but each time you'll want to restart the level, and try it again with a different pattern of brushes.
This is another game from Streaming Colour, and like Owen's other two games he makes the games he wants to rather than trying to fit it into a mold that is popular in the App Store, though that's not necessarily mutually exclusive. The game is extremely challenging, so be prepared once it's finally released into the App Store.
