Going universal with zombies and vuvuzelas
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Our first Universal App (an app designed for iPhone/iTouch, iPhone 4 and iPad ) has been submitted to Apple and is now waiting for review. And what app might that be? Well, none other than the new version of our silliest yet most downloaded game: Vuvuzela vs Zombies.
Following the release of Vuvuzela vs Zombies, we were asked if we would be releasing an HD version (among some other requests), so we looked into it and thought that it would be actually a good idea. We have been looking into iPad development for a while now, but with so many ongoing projects we haven’t been able to invest enough time, so a new version of a relatively simple game seemed like the perfect opportunity.
So what did making a universal App from a regular one involve? In first place we had to update our framework, so that the iPad and iPhone 4 resolutions were supported and 2D object positioning was consistent independently of the screen size. In second place, redraw all the graphics so that they would look good at double size (this would have been faster if vector graphics had been used) and redesign some interfaces.
Having designed the game for iPhone in first place, there was not much gameplay tweaking or rethinking to make, since the original gaming experience had to be kept intact. What we did though, was introduce an iPad-exclusive VS game mode, which takes advantage of the device’s big screen. In this mode, every 2 zombies killed in a combo send an extra zombie to the opponent stage and the player who survives longer wins the game.
But HD graphics and VS mode are not the only novelties in Vuvuzela vs Zombies 1.1. A completely new game mode called “Vuvuzela Jump” was added to give more variety to the game. In Vuvuzela Jump players take the role of a zombie trying to escape from hell, by using a Vuvuzela-powered jetpack and jumping over brains, bloody hands and rotten fish.
Sounds absurd? Maybe, but we’ve had a lot of fun both developing and playing it, so we’re sure you’ll enjoy it. Especially since Vuvuzela vs Zombies 1.1 will still be completely free.
Stay tuned for a (really soon) release date!





















