Nintendo fan site WiiWareWave recently interviewed Nic about escapeVektor: Chapter 1. The interview is split into 2 parts. In Part 1, Nic talks about the graphical inspiration for the game, the development process, music and what happened to the other chapters. Part 2 covers the positive reviews the game has received, WiiWare file size limits, lessons learned and developer tips.
It’s been quite a while since our last post, but that’s because we’ve been super-busy (and also on holiday for a couple of weeks)! But we’re back and hopefully we’ll have plenty of exciting news for you soon. But before that, there’s this – our new Mario Kart 7 Community!
Yes, we’ve been playing the awesome Mario Kart 7 on our Nintendo 3DSs and we want to race you! We’ll be racing every weekday from 1pm-2pm (Sydney time). Just check the countdown clock on our community page to find out when the next race is. The running totals of the top 10 cup winners will be recorded on our leaderboard for everyone to look at in wonderment and awe.
But that’s not all! If your name is at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the first week, we’ll gift you a copy of escapeVektor: Chapter 1 for WiiWare. If you already own a copy or don’t own a Wii, you can choose someone else for us to gift the game to.
Have you got what it takes to get to the top of our leaderboard? Have you? You really think so? Well, bring it on!
We’ll keep the racing going until…..well, until we get bored of it. See you in the race suckers!
We knew our friends at Nintendo of America liked escapeVektor: Chapter 1. So when they asked us for some artwork to feature our game inside the US Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword box, we were so excited!
But they told us to keep it a secret until Zelda was released. After a few weeks of constantly biting our tongues, here it is! How cool is that! It’s like a dream come true to be associated with the great Legend of Zelda series.
Now, please just leave us alone while we get all emotional over it. Sniff!
Nic was recently interviewed by UK games site Cane and Rinse. They wanted to chat about how a Scotsman ended up starting a video games business in Sydney and what WiiWare development is like. They also wanted to know about the design and music of escapeVektor: Chapter 1 and of course Spirit Hunters Inc. Have a listen to this illuminating chat.
It’s still really busy at Nnooo HQ, what with the launch of escapeVektor: Chapter 1, competitions to win a copy of the game (check out our Facebook and Twitter pages), the release of our new versions of Pop for iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch (including FREE giveaways on Twitter), setting up our Movember team to raise money for charity AND a visit from video games show 5 Inch Floppy who interviewed Nic and had a look round the office.
Nic and Bruce are also off to the annual Australian games shindig in Melbourne next week, otherwise known as GCAP (Game Connect Asia Pacific). They’ll be meeting up with some old game dev mates, having some serious industry pow-wows, listening to a load of interesting & inspiring talks and meeting a whole heap of new friends. They’ll take a few pics too. (more…)
The latest games website to review escapeVektor: Chapter 1 is MMGN.
Did they like it? Well, let’s see. They scored the game 5 stars out of 5 and wrote “Very rarely do we see a game come through with such perfect design and gameplay, but escapeVektor: Chapter 1 nails it on debut.” So yes, we think they liked it. Have a look at the review below.
escapeVektor: Chapter 1 Review
by Stephen Heller
Some of the best games of all time are the simple, yet challenging ones. Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and Tetris all have simple concepts, yet immense difficulty that challenges the player and keeps them coming back for more. While the puzzle meets retro arcade gaming sector has seen a number of successes in recent years, Nnooo’s escapeVektor: Chapter 1 goes above and beyond all expectations, as it offers an inviting and unforgettable experience.
Now that escapeVektor: Chapter 1 has been reviewed 4 times, it has an official Metacritic score. And what a score that is! Check out the Metacritic page and have a look at our ranking.
Click here to be taken to the Metacritic page for escapeVektor: Chapter 1
We’re delighted escapeVektor: Chapter 1 is receiving such a positive response from fans and reviewers alike. We love it when a plan comes together! We have also received many positive comments about the game’s music, even from Nintendo! So many in fact that we thought we should make the music available for download.
You can visit our Facebook music store, CD Baby, Amazon or iTunes and download the escapeVektor soundtrack now. Over the course of the coming weeks the soundtrack will also be available for download across a number of other outlets. Have a look below at what the reviewers are saying:
“The music is, without qualification, some of the best on WiiWare period. escapeVektor: Chapter 1 easily joins the ranks of World of Goo and the BIT.TRIP series in this regard; the gripping, evolving tunes keep you engaged and focused, and they’ll call out to you long after you turn off the game for the night.” Nintendo Life review
“It’s the soundtrack that really grabs you at first, as the chiptune beats fueling the audio side of the equation immediately mesmerize your mind – fans of the Bit.Trip series would be wise to take notice right away.” IGN review
Nintendo Life have written their review of escapeVektor: Chapter 1 and it’s another hugely positive one. With comments like “one of the finest experiences on the entire WiiWare service” and “This game is sharp, challenging, clever, gorgeous, atmospheric, thought-provoking, and, above all else, fun”, we think they quite like it! Have a read and see if you agree with us.
Virtual world, real quality
by Philip J Reed
After the delightful Pop (and its various offshoots), it seemed a bit like Nnooo was taking a break from game development. The studio released several applications through DSiWare, and while they were quite good, gamers might be forgiven for assuming that the company’s future releases would gravitate more toward “useful” than “fun.” Now Nnooo has released escapeVektor: Chapter 1 to remind us all that not only is the team still interested in games, but that it can also to deliver one of the finest experiences on the entire WiiWare service.
escapeVektor: Chapter 1 is brilliant. There are no other words to describe it, though, so that this review isn’t the shortest in Nintendo Life’s history, we’re going to have to try to find some.
It looks like IGN are also fans of escapeVektor: Chapter 1. In their 9/10 review they say “escapeVektor just blew me away.” and “It’s a spectacular experience.” Nice!
escapeVektor: Chapter 1 review
by Lucas M. Thomas
escapeVektor just blew me away. I’d had this new WiiWare game on my radar for a while, and I thought that it looked like a good one – but now that it’s out, and I’ve played it, I was wrong. It’s more than good. It’s great. It rocks. It’s totally freaking slick.