Even through my diligent note taking, when the time came to utilize certain clues on their intended puzzles, I couldn’t logically figure out how to marry my knowledge with the mechanism. However, there are a handful of obstacles that are oblique in their presentation and execution, to the point where I nearly lost all motivation for solving them. When that specific motion triggered my success, I knew I was playing something special. After a bit of experimentation, I ended up curiously rotating my iPad without really expecting anything to happen. For example, I was stuck at a puzzle that featured an item I had to retrieve, but various visual and audio cues indicated that said item was offscreen. It doesn’t try to shoehorn a console control scheme onto the touchpad, but rather builds the mechanics around motions that only these specific devices could accomplish. Year Walk also utilizes the inherent strengths and properties of your Apple device in unique and satisfying ways. I grew up playing games with a pad and pencil by my side, so any modern game that effectively necessitates this type of sensory diligence is much appreciated. Many of Year Walk’s mysteries hinge on environmental observation and duteous note-taking, which I’m completely fine with. Throughout this brief sojourn in the Scandinavian wilderness, you’ll encounter a handful of smart puzzles, nightmarish creatures, and genuinely terrifying moments. The sounds of snow crunching under boots and the ephemeral buzz of the wilderness add a great deal to the impeccable atmosphere. Creatures stalk the woods with a stop-motion cadence, harking back to films like The Nightmare Before Christmas. The feeling of maneuvering through the environment is akin to paging through a picture book, and though it may seem simplistic at first, the streamlined interaction allows you to appreciate the gorgeous presentation all the more. "And in all of this we are also starting to think about, talk about and plan the next thing … Nothing has been set in stone, we have a few ideas we are toying around with at the moment.Play Year Walk’s bleak and evocative representation of Sweden is traversed by swiping horizontally across screen, and moving forward or backwards at specifically designated points. Not quite ready to commit to a date or month, but it should hopefully make the first quarter of 2014," explained its blog post. ![]() We are about 75% done before starting external testing. "We are finishing up Year Walk for Steam. What next for the company? Taking Year Walk to other platforms, starting with computers. Simogo was also singled out as one of Apple's "developers to watch in 2014" this week. Apple chose another of its games, Device 6, as the runner-up Game of the Year in its Best of 2013 promotion on the UK and US App Stores. Simogo's work hasn't gone unnoticed by the owner of the App Store. Simogo shows that for small, focused and very talented developers, free-to-play isn't the only possible business model in town. That's particularly the case because Year Walk doesn't use in-app purchases, which have become the dominant way to make money from mobile games – 90% of all App Store games revenues according to the same Distimo study. It's a far cry from the hundreds of millions of revenues being pulled in by games like Candy Crush Saga, Clash of Clans and Puzzle & Dragons on the App Store, but for a two-person independent developer, it's meaningful success. 200,000 sales means £498,000 of gross revenues, and £348,600 for Simogo after Apple's 30% cut. The game – an eerie and beautiful adventure based on Swedish mythology, complete with its own companion app – was released in February 2013, and has maintained its £2.49 price ever since. ![]() "On the last day of 2013 we got some amazing news Year Walk had reached 200,000 sold copies on the App Store," explained co-founders Simon Flesser and Magnus Gardebäck. The Swedish developer revealed the milestone in a blog post this week.
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