Hello, and welcome to Dev Talk, a new weekly iFanzine feature in which I ask a panel of indie game developers their opinion on a topic or current hot-button issue related to the games industry.
Since the devs and I have spent the last few weeks discussing some pretty heavy topics (violence, art and piracy), this time around I decided to lighten things up a bit with the following question: “If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one iOS game with you, what would it be? (Caveat: you can’t pick one of your own games.)”
Here’s what the devs had to say…
Ian MacLarty
I’d probably be too pre-occupied with getting rescued to play games if I was stranded on a desert island, and there’d be no electricity anyway. If you were to ask which one game I’d choose if I had a lot of time to myself, then I’d choose Cinco Paus by Michael Brough. I’ve maybe played this game 100-200 times and the main emotion I still feel while playing is befuddlement. At the moment I am a bumbling apprentice playing with chaotic magics I don’t understand, but I hope to one day become a powerful wizard.
Bradley Smith, Miracle Tea
Ken Wong, Mountains
Threes! by Sirvo. It’s an incredibly elegant game and it’s actually possible to beat. I could spend the rest of my days trying to achieve that.
Carl Alston
Ah, I hate this question, it’s so hard to answer. I’m going to go with what I am a little addicted to right now — FLO by Rogue Games. It’s just simple, and is more like meditation than a game.
Barry Meade, Fireproof Games
FTL. It’s endlessly playable, always surprising, beautifully designed and importantly for a desert island game, is very bloody hard.
Josh Presseisen, Crescent Moon Games
Probably Tiny Wings, one of the few I continue to play over the years. Lovely art style, soothing music, addictive game mechanics.
Ben Murch, Perchang
Tricky tricky question! I’d have to go with Talisman. It’s my go-to sofa game. Can last anywhere from 30 minutes to half a day. Every game is different, and with all the add-ons it would keep me going for a good long while!
Claire Barilla, Loveshack Entertainment
My desert island game would probably be Design Home — but practically speaking I would need some sort of premium currency allowance if I am on an island with no income. I am, generally, not a huge fan of the ‘freemium’ model, but this is the only one that has kept me interested in converting since it released and it is one of the few apps I will open up and play at least once per day.
On a desert island it would be a nice respite when you get to enter the daily challenges and receive results — the way they have it set up could provide a nice connection to the outside world a few times a day. Because I imagine a desert island would be quite messy, it would also help me stay sane, by fulfilling my need to anxiously organize and tidy things.
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