Posted by Al
Thu, 2nd Apr 2015
Hi everyone,
It’s been another crazily busy week here at Laughing Jackal towers!
Flame Over is now on sale for Vita and the PS4 and Steam versions should be at alpha in around 2-3 weeks – it’s been very cool to get such great feedback from people who’ve already purchased the game on Vita, so a huge thank you to anyone who’s already bought the game. You guys rock! ^^
After launching on Vita and the game having such a great response from the visitors at EGX Rezzed, we’ve been really driven and made a ton of progress on the forthcoming PC and PS4 builds. Yay!
Even better, Vita owners will gain the benefit of some improvements made to the PC/PS4 versions post launch, as we’ve finished testing a patch for Vita that should be submitted to Sony next week (fingers crossed!)
The patch notes for this interim patch are as follows:
- Thermometer now ONLY fills all the way up when Blaze is standing in a room with a fire burning in it. If the thermometer is full you know there’s a fire in the room somewhere!
- Fire Exit icon now appears on the Minimap at all times.
- Blaze now flashes red once hit by a fireball.
- Blaze now flashes after losing a heart.
- Fire no longer spawns in the Fuseboard Room.
- Your own score can be found by pressing [SQUARE] on the Leaderboards screen.
- Leaderboards now delay before requesting scores, so you can fast scroll through scores.
- The Loot upgrade category is now automatically unlocked from the start of the game.
- The Fuseboard Icon will always be visible on your minimap until you turn it off.
- Upgrade cost warning can now be dismissed.
- Upgrades screen now only appears when you can unlock an upgrade category or afford an upgrade item.
- Quick Restart can now be accessed via the Pause Menu immediately upon player death or from the Game Over screen.
- The Intro video only plays once now, instead of every level load.
- NPCs now have a brief window of invulnerability when revived with the Defibrillator powerup.
- Water refill speeds have been doubled.
- Fixed an exploit where times were posted to Leaderboards without starting from Office Stage 1-1. Scores submitted this way will be voided and reset.
- Fixed a crash where the player could exit certain rooms by walking into corners.
- Fixed an issue where autosave could potentially wipe your Player Stats.
- Fixed an issue where the Caretaker accused you of stealing despite you having not done so.
- Fixed a visual issue where the magnifying overlay wouldn’t match your upgrade time.
- Fixed a bug where ambient fire sound would no longer play after the first level.
- Fixed an issue where the Main menu text became unreadable.
Sounds pretty great, right? :)
Hopefully the submission will go well and you’ll be able to try out Flame Over 1.1 in around a couple of weeks. In the meantime it’s back to work on getting the ultimate firefighting Roguelike ready for its console and Steam debut!
Until then, have a great Easter and talk to you again soon!
Al
Posted by Al
Fri, 20th Mar 2015
Hi everyone,
Well it’s been a really exciting week at Laughing Jackal! Last Wednesday Flame Over was finally released on Vita and it’s had a fantastic week, rubbing shoulders on the Top Sellers chart on the PSN Store with the likes of FIFA, Minecraft and Hotline Miami 2. Given the hectic release schedule last week that’s a great achievement so thanks to everyone who bought a copy.
Above: Our stand art was amazing and helped Flame Over attract a crowd. The huge fires helped!
The day after release, the Flame Over team attended the amazing EGX Rezzed event at London’s Tobacco Dock, some pictures of which are featured in this post. We had an awesome time meeting up with existing LJ fans, newly converted Flame Over fans and some old friends in the ‘trade’ and the media, all of whom really loved the game, which was an amazing feeling.
Above: A crack team of experts was on hand to help people brave the deadly fires of Flame Over.
Our stand ended up looking amazing and we had some huge HD TVs to show the forthcoming PS4/Steam versions of the game, with many people coming back again and again to try and beat their previous best performances. Thanks to everyone who played, or came to say hi, you made it a really fantastic event for the whole team. :)
Not only was Flame Over winning new fans at the Rezzed event, but we’ve had some amazing reviews online too. Here are a few examples of the love being shown to Flame Over amongst the gaming press online:
“Flame Over isn’t just one of my favorite PS Vita games of the year but one of my favorite games full stop. I seriously cannot stop playing it.” - 10/10
PS Nation
“...packs a ferocious difficulty level and a protagonist that makes Fireman Sam look like a weakling... Not only is it one of the best games of 2015 (so far), it’s one of the best games on Playstation Vita. Period.”
Critical Indie Gamer
“...one of the Playstation Vita’s absolute must-buys. Featuring tight controls, whimsical audio-visuals that belie a ruthless-but-fair set of game systems and a minute cost of entry, there remains little to say but get it while it’s hot.” - 9/10
Coffee Break Gaming
“Flame Over seems too hot to handle at first, but it's worth every hour you invest into it” - 8/10
Pocket Gamer
Now that we’re back in good old LJ Towers, all this week we’ve been moving ahead with the PS4 and Steam versions of Flame Over, which will be submitted in a few weeks now. Even more excitingly for Vita owners is the news that we’ve taken some time to respond to user feedback and make additions to the game. The first patch to improve feedback on damage and fire detection will be available in the next 3-4 weeks we hope. A second patch bringing the game into line with the PS4/Steam versions will be released when the Vita version’s bigger brothers go live, so no one needs to feel left behind in the blaze. :)
Above: Tobacco Dock was a great venue and we can’t wait to go back, maybe with a new game!
That’s about it for this week. Thanks again to everyone who’s bought, reviewed, shared, played, or talked about Flame Over, whoever you are. You have helped us more than you know and made us a very happy team, ready to work towards the next challenge: PS4 and Steam builds of Flame Over and other exciting future projects. :D
So yeah, thanks! You guys rock. xoxo ^^
Posted by Ross
Wed, 11th Mar 2015
Hi everyone. I’m thrilled to be able to tell you that our ‘pyroguelike’ twin-stick squirt ‘em up, Flame Over, is out now on PlayStation Vita in Europe & North America, priced at just £7.99 / €9.99 / $9.99, with an additional 20% discount for PS+ users during launch week!
If you’re not already convinced you want to pick up our unique blend of firefighting roguelike action then check out what the press have been saying:
“Flame Over isn’t just one of my favorite PS Vita games of the year but one of my favorite games full stop. I seriously cannot stop playing it.” - 10/10
PS Nation
“...packs a ferocious difficulty level and a protagonist that makes Fireman Sam look like a weakling... Not only is it one of the best games of 2015 (so far), it’s one of the best games on Playstation Vita. Period.”
Critical Indie Gamer
“Flame Over is a great game that is sure to get Vita owners hooked with its simple to pick up, difficult to master style of play that will have you wanting to better your previous run every time you pick it up.” - 4.5/5
The Vita Lounge
“Flame Over burns about as bright as a Bunsen burner with the air holes open and some magnesium tape held in the flame. It is a rock of a challenge that only Herculean gamers will complete... If you're up for the challenge, jump right in...” - 9/10
PS Vita Roundup
“If you put enough time into Flame Over, you and your Vita will get on like a house on fire. It’s a tough but hugely rewarding experience that amounts to one of the best Vita releases around. Feel the burn!” - 9/10
Punk and Lizard
“...one of the Playstation Vita’s absolute must-buys. Featuring tight controls, whimsical audio-visuals that belie a ruthless-but-fair set of game systems and a minute cost of entry, there remains little to say but get it while it’s hot.” - 9/10
Coffee Break Gaming
“If you love a game that challenges you and rewards you for persevering, then you should definitely give Flame Over a chance. Do not be fooled by the cute exterior, there is a devilishly good game hidden beneath the surface.” - 90%
JoyPad.dk
“Flame Over is a fresh and quirky experience that I would recommend to anyone that is a fan of the roguelike genre. I've never played anything like it and am already thinking about how I can improve my game.” - 8.5/10
GBAtemp.net
“Flame Over seems too hot to handle at first, but it's worth every hour you invest into it” - 8/10
Pocket Gamer
After two years of hard work we’re beyond thrilled that you can finally check out Flame Over for yourselves! It’s been amazing hearing from so many of you who have already been enjoying the game. :)
A big thank you to everyone who’s tweeted about, talked about, reviewed, streamed or just played Flame Over. As a small developer, we really do rely on your support, and we couldn’t make games like this without you all. So thanks everyone! :) <3
Before I go I’d just like to remind everyone going to Rezzed this week that we’ll be demoing the PS4 version of Flame Over both on our own stand and over on the Sony stand, where you can sample the delights of the Vita version of the game. So if you are there at all then do stop by and say hi. We don’t bite. Not anymore… ^^
And if you haven’t already picked Flame Over up yet then why not head over to the North American or European PSN Store to pick up Flame Over now?
