If you like physics-based puzzle games that are both fun and challenging, be sure to check out the new Kickstarter project for the upcoming iOS game Bumpin' Uglies.
This is how the team describes the game:
In Bumpin' Uglies, players design their own Ugly, a hapless, adorably ugly little creature with the intellect of a block of wood, and fling it head first into the gene pool. Players use skill, logic and luck to navigate their Ugly through worlds of quizzical physics-based puzzles, all so that they can "bump" with the Uglies at the other end of those worlds. When they do, magical things happen and they get a gaggle of little Bumplings that blend their Ugly's physical traits and those of the other Ugly.
The game is from the Minneapolis-based game shop Ham in the Fridge. Ham in the Fridge is responsible for one of my all-time favorite Flash games, Adult Swim's epic 5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself) and a slew of other client games. Bumpin' Uglies is the first original effort from the team that wasn't commissioned by someone else.
I've been beta testing the game on the iPhone, and I have to say, it's fantastic. It has elements reminiscent of Angry Birds, Tiny Wings and Super Meat Boy. It's addictive and challenging -- and this is just the beta.
The game itself will be free and additional game content can be unlocked using in-game currency. The developers are targeting a fall release for iOS -- with an Android version to follow -- but it needs help crossing the finish line. That's why they've turned to Kickstarter to raise $65,000 to pay for level design, game trailer design and a few tweaks to in-app purchase mechanics of the game.
Backers get a variety of different rewards for supporting the project, ranging from being listed in the credits to a custom Ugly that is part of the game -- as well as a whole world designed around your specifications.
Indie game developers are flocking to platforms such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo to raise money for their projects. We hope Bumpin' Uglies can join the ranks of the successful games in the future.