Rolando
I’m currently knee-deep working on Rolando, the iPhone/iPod Touch game I’ve been toiling away at these past months, and the first official game from Handcircus. I’ve been having great fun creating it - it’s really coming together and the last few weeks have seen it blossom from prototypes and experiments to what feels like a proper game. Despite my best efforts, this one won’t be ready for the launch of the App Store but it will be ready soon - at some point over the summer (hopefully late July/early August).
I’m just finishing off a trailer, which I hope to put online today/tomorrow. Look, read and see at the Official Rolando site. In the meantime, theres a couple of screenshots above!
Also, this month you can take a bit of a peek at Rolando in Edge magazine.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:46 am
I can’t believe Sony won’t be chasing you down when they see this it’s way too close to RocoLoco…way too close.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:52 am
I think comparisons are inevitable because it uses vector illustration (as does LocoRoco and Patapon) rather than pixel art or realistically shaded scene. If you check out the trailer (the next post), the actual game is quite different - it is primarily a puzzle game and has more in common with Lemmings or Mario vs Donkey Kong than Loco Roco.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:16 am
Wow, this game looks great. The controles seems to work just fine. To bad it wont make the launch… Il be waiting for it.
July 4th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Hey this game looks awesome, but, I am wondering how much you will sell it for?
July 4th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I’m sorry HandCircus, but indeed its very similar to LocoRoco. If not in the gameplay, for sure the graphics and specially the characters. Even the black sticky monster trying to knock you reminds us LocoRoco. If I were you i’d try at least to change a lot the characters. The vector graphics and so could pass through Sony attention, but the characters I doubt it.
For Sure LocoRoco is a very original game, and everything coming after it will have a sort of comparision. Your game have a lot of original creation, so lets not ruin it leaving something to Sony bother you. And believe me, they do.
Maybe if you change the them of it, like the whole game-world were inside a watch and the characters were that little round parts and they magnet itself etc etc… I think you could keep your original work, keep the good similarity with LocoRoco without infringing any copyrights, and succed having no legal problems.
Good Luck. Very good work. Hope you succed.
July 5th, 2008 at 2:41 am
Hi Gilberto,
Thanks for your comments and your ideas. There has been a lot of discussion about this! We’ve definitely taken on board everything that has been said. Do bear in mind that what has been shown is just a snapshot of Rolando - I have every confidence that when the game is released it will be seen as a distinctive original game, both aesthetically and in terms of gameplay - the last thing we would do is release a game that offers nothing new or merely apes another title.
Simon
August 28th, 2008 at 10:44 am
No matter what you say Simon, it looks EXACTLY THE SAME as LocoRoco. Which is a real shame, because the gameplay looks unique. I agree with Gilberto - by making it look the same you’re going to get backs up - and then people will compare them - and I suspect LocoRoco will come out on top - which is a shame.
I love LocoRoco and your trailer just made me angry, but I really want to play, but probably won’t because I want LocoRoco 2 - and not a copy.