Mini-minecraft more than Carbon Copy

5 min read


Despite punching well above its weight in fields of music, film and literature, one aspect of popular culture in which New Zealand has traditionally struggled to make an impact is the video game market. Apart from Sidhe Interactive's Wellington-based popular rugby titles and 1995's cult Megadrive classic Super Skidmarks, the list of Kiwi games that have received international recognition is a surprisingly short one.



With modern, mass-market games involving massive budgets and the support of international publishers with large pockets, it's almost impossible for new companies to get an edge, particularly for console titles released via the off-the-shelf retailers. Mobile gaming is an attractive alternative for programmers with innovative ideas, since there are few domestic developers.



At the forefront of this new wave of Kiwi digital entrepreneurs is Hawke's Bay developer David Frampton who is already an App Store enthusiast after establishing his name with the quick-fix hit Chopper and its imaginatively-titled sequel Chopper 2, Frampton hit the headlines earlier this month with a game that racked more than a million downloads in just three days of its launch on its way to becoming the number 1 iPad app in 15 countries around the globe.



The Blockheads isn't any story, narrative structure or a general objective. It's difficult to determine the "point" of The Blockheads. There's no princess to save or a hostile alien to repel or a plot to unravel. There's no high score or boss to beat. It's a game that has no end in sight where your sole goal is to explore and create. This blank slate method allows you to create and explore at your own pace.
Safeminecraftmods.Com



Even though your protagonist is muted and has no personality per se you'll soon be interested in the cube-headed character as their mood is a vital part of the game.



Explore too long without sleeping or eating and they'll become exhausted and hungry , requiring you to gather resources in order to build shelter and grow food. As you explore the virtual world, you'll discover materials that will allow you to create elaborate palaces and more sophisticated tools.



The game is free to play however, its addictive nature makes it an excellent choice for the "freemium" model that many mobile games rely on. If you have the patience to wait for your blockhead to complete tasks such as building, mining and sleeping then you'll never have to pay a dime - however, by investing in the game's currency, "time crystals", you can speed up the process and make more intricate items.



With all the talk about mining and crafting it's impossible to talk about The Blockheads without not mentioning the elephant in our room, another brainchild of an one-man band indie programmer, Markus "Notch" Persson's hugely successful Minecraft. It's clear that the two games share lots of things in common, from the zany, lo-fi graphics to the focus on resource collection, exploration and creativity.



When the Nelson Mail's Adam Roberts interviewed Frampton earlier this month, online commenters were quick to highlight the striking similarities between the two games, suggesting and suggesting that The Blockheads was little more than an "Minecraft imitation".



It's understandable people would be quick to draw this conclusion. While There's no doubt that Notch's game was a clear source of inspiration for Frampton but there's a lot more to The Blockheads that the other similar cash-in-sandwapware is available on the App Store.



It's also unjust and lazy to rely on the similarities between two games to prove plagiarism. Video games more than any other form of entertainment, build on what's been played before them.



As technology advances and trends become more popular developers will be able to refine and modify what "works" and draw inspiration from the most innovative games. Similar to how Space Invaders led to a wave of space shooters Super Mario Bros set the trend of side-scrolling platformers and Gears of War opened the floodgates for cover-based shooters, the unimaginable success of an innovative indie blockbuster like Minecraft will surely cause ripples within the industry. It's not plagiarism, it's advancing.



If you're an avid Minecraft fan and you're a Minecraft fan, then you're bound to love The Blockheads but it's more than a carbon copy. While Minecraft is best played using a mouse and keyboard, The Blockheads' 2-D version of the sandbox with a creative twist genre is perfectly suited for the mobile format and its use of touchscreen controls is well implemented and intuitive.



It's exciting to witness an Kiwi developer making waves within gaming's fastest-growing sector. With three hits under his experience, it will be fascinating to see what Frampton's Majic Jungle Software creates and creates next.



Majic Jungle Software - The Blockheads (iPad and iPhone) Play for free.

In case you have found a mistake in the text, please send a message to the author by selecting the mistake and pressing Ctrl-Enter.
Comments (0)

    No comments yet

You must be logged in to comment.

Sign In / Sign Up