Codeminion revealed more details on Saqqarah’s varied gameplay along with in-game screenshots and information on the amount of levels. The company also presented the box art, featuring Khufu – the game’s main character.
May 7, 2008 – Today Codeminion revealed the details on Saqqarah’s varied gameplay along with first in-game screenshots showing its unique mechanics. The company also presented the box art, featuring Khufu – the game’s main character.
The developers finally provided more information on the game’s announced varied gameplay and depth. “When it comes to game mechanics, Saqqarah’s biggest innovation lies in the introduction of the ‘distorted grid’ board topology. Each level is a unique set of nodes connected with smooth curves. It allowed us to create seven different types of puzzles with common goals and features but different mechanics. This includes a classical match-3, which really works great with this setup, and a set of completely original gameplays. Usage of distorted grids enabled us to create lots of distinctive and visually appealing levels, adding twists even to the more commonly known mechanics. Players will get to unlock and explore seven different temples, each consisting of 72 levels. This gives us a whooping 512 of puzzles to complete. We also plan to provide our gamers with new content after the game’s release.” explains Maciej Biedrzycki, game’s programmer and Codeminion co-owner.
Company’s website provides an exact list of gameplays in Saqqarah:
– Isis Swap – A classical match-3 on the Saqqarah’s “distorted grid” board topology.
– Sobek’s Rotate – Rotate clusters of tokens to create closed groups of one type.
– Puzzles of Thot – For the logic puzzle fans. Rearrange tokens freely to find a winning solution that matches the underlying distorted grid.
– Chains of Anubis – Drag select mechanics known from Magic Match on the “distorted grid” topology.
– Horus Token Pop – Quick paced mode challenging player’s perception. Find the biggest visible chains of tokens and race against time.
– Hand of Osiris – Use the token in hand to create one-colored closed fields on the distorted grid.
– Paths of Bast – Strategically move the tokens along the paths on the grid to create colored groups.
– Glyph Search – A sort of hidden object gameplay used in bonus rounds.
Konrad Olesiewicz, one of the company’s owners, adds: “What’s really wonderful, is that these gameplays share common winning conditions and obstacles, but the differing mechanics encourage the players to develop varied strategic approaches. For example – removing an obstacle with an exploding token requires different approach in the classical Isis Swap than in the strategic Paths of Bast, where you have a direct control over the pieces and each move should be carefully planned. This makes the game very easy to learn due to the common features, yet it offers a lot of depth at the same time”.
Codeminion also presented the promo/box art for the game, featuring Khufu – a Magical Monkey from the Underground Oasis – the game’s main character and player’s mentor. This rather extraordinary gentleman will speak with the voice of Michael McConnohie, known from such titles as Diablo 2 or World of Warcraft. The box art and a voice sample are available on the game’s teaser website at www.saqqarahthegame.com.
Saqqarah, Codeminion biggest project so far, was announced as a rich and deep puzzle game of quality and proportions not seen in the casual industry before. The exact launch date remains unannounced.
