Xbox on Windows Phone: Gerbil Physics update details and mini-interview

Gerbil Physics new level

Way back in June, Windows Phone Fundamental teased that Xbox game Gerbil Physics would be receiving a substantial update. In fact, we even suggested some of the changes that made information technology into the update, which is now alive. Head past the suspension for update details and exclusive screenshots, plus a mini-interview with Pencel Games.

Gerbil Physics version 1.1 release notes:

Another 12 new levels and new artwork
Improved UI based on your feedback
Diverse pocket-size gerbil tweaks

New levels: The game originally had 72 levels, so the new stages push it up to 84 total levels. Players must complete the previous levels in order to access them. The new ones feature a darker, fiery theme.

The skilful news is they actually make several Achievements easier to earn! Encounter, several of the game's Achievements are cumulative in nature: score 40,000 points; collect sixteen Wipeouts; and several for earning specific numbers of gold chests (ratings) on levels. Previously, to get the toughest Achievement, '72 Gold Chests,' you had to beat every single level with a Gold rating. Now that the game has 84 levels, players take 12 extra opportunities for Gilded chests.

Improved UI: Before the update, it was difficult to tell the requirements for earning a Gold chest during the level itself – the game merely told yous when you failed. Similarly, you could but tell which levels were eligible for 'Wipeouts' from the level select screen, not during the level. After completing a level, the game automatically moved on to the next level. This made retrying levels for better scores more of a job than necessary.

Gerbil Physics pause screen All of these issues were fixed in the update. The pause screen now displays Gold chest and Wipeout requirements, and so you lot tin hands bank check how well you need to do. After completing a level, y'all're given the choice to retry information technology, render to the level select menu, or go along on to the next level. And so dainty!

The only improvement I really hoped or that didn't make the cut is the add-on of a Retry push button during non-paused gameplay. Many physics puzzlers like iBlast Moki and Implode accept such a button, making information technology fast and easy to restart a level. In Gerbil Physics, you have to pause a level past hitting the Back push and so choose to retry – an actress step. It's a minor annoyance.

Developer Mini-Interview

Gerbil Physics level complete Without farther ado, here's a quick interview with Kevin Small, head of Pencel Games.

Do you take any physical plans for future updates that you'd similar to share with our readers?

No physical plans, no. Speculative plans to practise an avatar award (pending MS saying yes), and we'd notwithstanding like to do the language translations (likewise subject to MS) but these I could not say are concrete.

1 interesting matter is looking at the metrics coming in since the TU went live - the biggest market is the United states of america of course, only the 2d biggest market is Brazil, and only a few percent smaller audience! Very surprised by that; and kind of nice to see we take international appeal. The voice actress who did all the gerbil voices is Brazilian, so she was pleased to meet that too. (Maybe releasing games in Brazil is worth the hassle later all. –ed.)

If you alive in the United states almost a MS Retail Store, then yous should be seeing big print versions of the Gerbil Physics game tile sometime soon. They are planning to promote information technology in their 'Kids Corner' section.

Cool! Looking to the future, have you made any Windows eight or Windows Phone 8 plans? An Xbox Live-enabled Windows 8 port of Gerbil Physics would exist awesome.

We've been researching Windows 8 and very speculatively might practice something, but… there is not as however an easy way to port XNA games to information technology. I went on one of those Windows 8 developer kicking camps last week and their advice was to use MonoGame to allow XNA games to run on Windows 8, so there may be some potential there - just realistically I think we'll wait and encounter how many other games successfully release using MonoGame. From feel information technology tin be tough being besides close to the "cutting edge" and waiting for things to stabilize makes development more fun!

[Gerbil Physics will] be bachelor on Windows Phone eight as a backwards-compatible championship. No plans to release a Windows Telephone eight-specific build.

Gerbil Physics upsell screen