Hello guys,
It has been quite a while, but today I have some splendid news to share with you. First of all, the demo of Topatoi will be available this week. Check PSN on December 3rd to download it.
Also, I cannot talk about it right now, but we have more good stuff going next week, so keep in touch. I can assure you, it will be worth it.
And the last, but not the least, I’ve combined some of the most frequent questions we’ve been receiving from the fans and asked our guys to give some answers. And here it goes, the mini-interview with the team.
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Q&A with Boolat Games team
Q: So, why have you decided to develop a puzzle/platformer game, not an RTS or racing game, in other words, something in the genres you’ve tried before?
A: Well, we decided to create something in a genre that was not heavily introduced at PS3 to lower the competition factor. Plus we always wanted to create an arcade and dynamic platformer. Speaking of other genres, we didn’t really felt strong enough to start breaking ice of an RTS genre on the consoles or compete with juggernaut franchises like Burnout, NFS or Motorstorm, despite our previous experience. I mean, doing your first title for consoles, why would you do such a crazy thing? We thought it would be a good idea to start with something small, charming, and original in its concept.
Q: What games have inspired you?
A: We always liked Ballance, Switchball and other Marble Madness-inspired flicks. So that was our original inspiration. We decided to mix this concept with more traditional platformers, say, Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter. So in the end we had a very special type of a physics-driven, puzzle-laden platformer. With traditional cartoon characters and screenplay, instead of some abstract stuff.
Q: Why PSN?
A: We always wanted to try PSN. Why… generally because we like it. I mean, what other reasons do you need? And what’s important it corresponds with the ideology and concept of the game, so it was a choice of mind and heart together.
Q: Ok, and what is the Topatoi?
A: Oh… everybody wants to know. Everything’s pretty simple. Topatoi is like “top” + “toy”. With “oy” replaced by “oi” to sound more cool. Like in a “Sk8er Boi”. And contrary to some folks’ belief, it has nothing to do with the music style of oi and bands like Screwdriver. We like Avril Lavigne better!
Q: As we know there will be few episodes of the game. What are the plans of project development?
A: We’re planning to release the new episode in the nearest future. It will continue the storyline of the original episode and will bring new levels and gameplay elements to the game. We’re testing it right now. And Episode 2 it is much longer than the first one, and as you know, size matters sometimes.
Q: When should we expect the Episode 2 announcement and gameplay videos?
A: Pretty soon I think. I guess will have the announcement this month, with trailer in December. Which is quite logical since we’re looking forward for an early 2010 release, January or February.
Q: And the last but not the least, what about multiplayer and new modes?
A: We’ll have a brand new multiplayer mode in Episode 2. We’re also thinking about adding a internet-based multiplayer, as well as some other modes. And no, I’m not talking about Team Fortress, Capture the Flag or Team Deathmatch.
12 CommentsAdd Yours
1
Posted on 4 December, 2009 at 2:22 pm by Hasquarl
The multiplayer modes in Episode 2 sound really cool. I’m looking forward to some cool stuff.
2
Posted on 4 December, 2009 at 3:18 pm by Dr-Mog
What the hell, this game has been out ages.
I guess sales must have slumped, that I can see as being the only reason for a Demo xD
Unless this news means you are bringing out new content soon?
*crosses fingers*
3
Posted on 4 December, 2009 at 3:22 pm by VitalogyPJ
I like this weird little game, finished it in about 4h though, a little bit short :\ but in the end I got really into it.
The arcade got me busy for a couple more hours and now looking forward to episode 2
4
Posted on 4 December, 2009 at 3:38 pm by Onna76_NL
@VitalogyPJ, depends on how you play, you’re not going to tell me you got all the trophies within 4 hours as you need to finish the arcade mode levels as well and those can be tough at times
I’m really looking forward to the next episode of the game… I’m a day 1 fan of Topatoi, ask Alexander
“And Episode 2 it is much longer than the first one”
You say? :-O
Will keep a close eye to the blog for your next post.
Regards,
Anouschka
5
Posted on 4 December, 2009 at 3:49 pm by mJ_mSv
Looking forward for more levels soon!
, are you working on other games aswell?, would be intresting to see what that can be in so case!
6
Posted on 4 December, 2009 at 7:27 pm by chriscowboyd
Does Topatoi run in 1080p? Will custom soundtrax be added at some time?
Posted on 5 December, 2009 at 2:05 pm by Natalia Gorbanskaya
Hi chriscowboyd!
Thanks for the questions
Topatoi runs in 720p. As for custom soundtrax, we actually don’t have any current plans about it.
7
Posted on 4 December, 2009 at 7:42 pm by Blasteroids
It seems odd to make a post based on a non-news item. The demo was already mentioned on the stores update. Is the income from SCEE really that bad? First we have the video store with the approaching begging and now a “rumor post” for a game. Not very professional.
8
Posted on 4 December, 2009 at 7:57 pm by Bonyman
The handy thing about a demo is you can see if you will like the game or not. It’s clear that this is one of those games that you will either love or hate so it’s important for the customer to see if they like it first and it’s also good for Boolat as the demo can potentially attract a customer who might otherwise not buy it.
Thanks very much for the demo
9
Posted on 4 December, 2009 at 8:03 pm by Smegzilla
FINALLY a demo! I was never going to buy this game without one, and now I’ll consider it once I’ve had a play with it.
10
Posted on 5 December, 2009 at 9:51 am by johndrinkwater
Loved the cuteness of the first episode but please, if there’s one thing you can fix by episode 2 (or patch in the current), is cutscene skipping! Or just automatic continuation of the conversation – Having. To. Press. A. Button. To. Continue. Is. Frustrating.
People who need to leave the room, and dont want to miss a thing, have the start button
11
Posted on 5 December, 2009 at 1:23 pm by Kenshin71
I played the demo and couldn’t even make the first jump. Guess I wasn’t doing it right but after several tries I gave up. Wasn’t exactly the best first impression. What was I doing wrong?
Posted on 5 December, 2009 at 2:30 pm by Natalia Gorbanskaya
Hi Kenshin71!
I’ll try to help you
To overcome the first obstacle you have to make a double jump. So, just press X twice to make it.
Then, to adjust the hight and lenght of the jump, you need to delay a bit the second pressing of X.
I advice you to accelerate before the long jump.
And remember, the faster you move before the jump, the longer this jump will be.
Hope it helps
12
Posted on 6 December, 2009 at 3:09 pm by Ivan_Krazy
I’m sorry but Topatoi didn’t really spice me up. Its one of those ‘hit and miss’ titles. Thanks for demo though
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