TumbleSeed [official site], the colourful arcade game about rolling a seed up a monster-packed mountain, has been updated to make it less difficult.

In a very thoughtful blog post, developer Greg Wohlwend has written about “what went wrong” with the game’s release last month, and addresses feedback that the game was just too hard to be enjoyable (although the Steam reviews remain positive). He writes that sales have been slow, and the game may never recoup its costs. The whole thing is worth a read not just for a take on TumbleSeed, but on the dilemmas of development in general.

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TumbleSeed [official site] is a colourful arcade game about rolling a seed up a mountain, complete with monsters, procedurally-generated levels and 30+ character upgrades. A roguelike-like, if you will.

You tilt a horizontal beam left and right, rolling your tiny friend away from holes and traps as you move steadily skywards. Read the rest of this entry »

You know those mazes where you need to roll a marble or ball bearing past obstacles and perilous holes? TumbleSeed [official site] is like that but scrolling up through procedurally-generated levels, with special powers. So a bit like that, but not a load. TumbleSeed is a goodun, a great arcade game turning something simple — rolling a seed up an obstacle course by tilting a guiding bar — into a delightful challenge. I really enjoyed the preview version I played a while back. When will Alex Public get to play? May 2nd, the developers have announced. Have a look: Read the rest of this entry »