Impara GmbH has announced Parcours.robo 1.1, an update to their industrial robot obstacle course game for iOS moved into the iTunes New and Notable section placing it 83rd in total iPad app sales, and 23rd in the Games category of the iTunes USA App Store. In Europe where acceptance was even stronger it ranked as the #1 Game in the puzzle and strategy categories in France.
The game challenges the player to program his robot to cross the factory floor and reach the exit. Player created stacks of 5 punch cards, which provide stepwise control of turning and movement, are executed each round. Robots must move around walls, negotiate conveyor belts, ride rotating floor discs, and avoid lasers and crushers to reach the exit. The number of cards, amount of energy, and the elapsed time determine the score. The game's graphics are optimized for all iOS devices, including iPhone 4's Retina display. The updated version adds iPhone/iPod/iPad single player gameplay, plus the previously supported 2-player mode when running on the iPad.
Parcours.robo 1.1 combines aspects of both point-of-view labyrinth games and chess. Each round the player must plan the shortest path to the exit, and then compile 5 cards to move his robot, one instruction at a time, toward the Exit. Cards include: forward, forward 2x, backward, rotate 90 degrees left, rotate 90 degrees right, rotate 180 degrees, and no operation (no movement or rotation). Each instruction consumes .5, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 units of battery power, depending on the amount of activity involved. Resembling labyrinth games, each turn the player must assume a robot's eye view to assemble 5 instructions through often challenging mazes and obstacles. And Parcours.robo is chess-like in that following each individual move or instruction, the dynamic elements of the game may have a move in response. If a robot moves on to a conveyor belt, the player must calculate the game's counter-move as the belt alters the robot's position.
Feature Highlights: * Program your industrial robot to go through an obstacle course to reach the Exit * Simultaneous 2-player mode available on iPad * Single player mode with scoring on iPad, iPhone, iPod touch * Compile individual instructions and execute them to direct your robot * Robot interacts with moving tiles on the gameboard * Complete the course expending the minimum amount of energy, fewest moves, and least time * In-app purchases to buy more complex level packs
After moving up to 5 cards into the upper tray, the player hits the Execute button and 5 robot/gameboard cycles are run. The results are frequently surprising, requiring trial and error reasoning and recalculation. Upon completing a gameboard, the user receives a score of time, moves, and energy that is compared to the best currently recorded values. There are progressively more difficult levels of play, and 11 different gameboards are included for free. An additional 37, advanced levels are available as an in-app purchase. The game includes comprehensive, illustrated instructions, and a lengthy tutorial.
Parcours.robo derives its name from the French Parkour, "a physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment." In addition to its exalted lineage, the game features simultaneous 2-player gameplay on the iPad, laying the foundations to take advantage of Apple's Game Center technology once it is released to the public.
"We've worked hard to create a game that requires complex reasoning and is also fun to play," stated John McIntosh of co-developers Corporate Smalltalk Consulting, Ltd. "Parcours.robo 1.1 is a game of pure logic that incorporates killer laser beams and mechanical crushers."
Pricing and Availability: Parcours.robo 1.1 is free and available exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. Review copies are available upon request.