We find Crescent Moon Games to be a perfect fit for our company, since they’re not only the developers of one of the most popular iPhone RPGs, but also a team that shares our ideals about producing great games.

Screenshot from the game

Combat

The combat is turn-based in the same way as in many roguelike games: on each turn you move to an adjacent tile or perform a single action. Then, all the enemies visible do the same. The basic tactical choices depend on your character build: melee path characters’ tactics involve efficient use of weapons and talents, ranged characters will find to their advantage to keep mobile and plan their routes, while magic users need to keep track of their mana reserves.

Varying enemy types will require different strategies and some enemies will work together, so you’ll need to think carefully which opponents to tackle first and with which attacks.

We are taking efforts to ensure that the game mechanics are as transparent as possible, so you’ll always have a good grasp about the consequences of your choices. The main guideline is that if you fail, you’ll have a good understanding of what actions most probably lead to your demise.

Exploration And Story

The game features both random generated and pre-designed levels, latter of which will also include some light puzzle elements. There won’t be too many mazes, but people wanting to search any nook and cranny will find their efforts rewarded by additional treasures.

The main plot in the game will be linear and there won’t be any dialogue trees, but additional side quests will be there. We’re taking care not to drown anyone in the dialogue, so all the conversations in the game game will be pretty short. We’re also planning (skippable) cut-scenes in between the levels to carry out the story, but we can’t yet tell how they will be handled.

The mood of the story will be light, adventurous and slightly humorous, but with some more epic and serious undertones.

In retrospect, the Nausicaa vibe some have noticed in the forums is a good perception, although Laputa has been a more conscious inspiration. Among many others, of course.

The game’s website is currently unavailable, but we’re working hard to get the final site open to public as soon as possible.

Rimelands: Hammer of Thor

At this point, the following facts can be revealed:

* It’s a turn-based RPG, not unlike a certain Rogue

* It’s steampunk with a frosty twist

* It’s more pulp adventure than fantasy epic

Diceworks bartop arcade

Hopefully some day this could be real!

Go get it!

We forgot one vital bit of information from the press release, which is the price of the product. So, here it is:

(drumming)

$0.99! (€0.79)

Dicework Games To Release Their First Game On iPhone

Tampere, Finland, August 18th 2009 – Newly founded Dicework Games will release their first game, the self-titled Diceworks, in 28th of August. The company founders Arto Koistinen and Peter Finnberg, both of whom have former experience in the game industry, believe that strong vision and solid design are the key elements in a highly competitive marketplace such as Apple’s App Store.

“While I find it a bit naive to say that all you need for high sales is a good game, I strongly believe that a strong portfolio is something that will ensure the longevity of a development studio”, says company CEO Koistinen. “We are aiming to make Dicework Games a brand in which our customers can trust. As a small studio, we have the possibility to take risks and try new things, or go for less popular genres.”

Diceworks, while being in the popular genre of puzzle games, brings this thinking to practice in its visual design. The steampunk inspired art direction dodges the usual candy-like visual style of the genre and maintains a coherent tactile feel for the game. “We wanted the game to feel like a physical object”, the artist Finnberg explains. “The user interface is designed so that everything feels like a part of a clockwork puzzle box, I think it really brings a unique atmosphere for the game.”

Everyone who is not yet convinced of the game’s puzzle-y goodness can also try it on the company’s website, where a web-browser version of the game will be available.

The developers also see their choice of engine, the Unity 3D, as a definite strength. For a small startup company, a tool that enables the developers to concentrate on game-specific development instead of having to build a software framework from scratch, at the same time giving the possibility for multi-platform release, is a valuable opportunity.

As is usual for the game industry, only few things in the horizon look clear. For now, the games will continue to be published on the iPhone and they will be self-funded as with Diceworks. “Concentrating on our own portfolio is currently the most viable option. Of course, we are open to publishing deals and sub-contracting, should a viable opportunity present itself. To be honest, I’d still love to work on some great license”, Koistinen, who has previously worked with mobile license games, confesses.

Dicework Games
http://www.dicework.com/
company@dicework.com