Splume

By: Brandon McCartin (BMcC)

On: October 28th, 2007

Content Directors for this year’s IGF, Steve Swink and Matthew Wegner (a.k.a. Flashbang Studios), have recently released a quirky, physics-based puzzle game called Splume, made in only four short weeks as part of a new development path experiment they’re conducting. In Splume you shoot balls that attach to other balls… and… wait, why am I describing this when you could simply watch the video, or, in just a few more mouse clicks, play the game? Here’s what’s important: It’s fun and polished and free.

So apparently Flashbang will continue releasing compact games like this for some months, then decide which games are the best to flesh out into “full” versions. Can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Splume has an online scoretable, level editor, and live feed of recent play history across the galaxy. Check it out. And enjoy.

Posted in Browser Games, Casual, Freeware, Physics, Puzzle, Videos | Tags: FlashbangStudios

http://www.tscreative.net BMcC

Gotta love the little eyeballs. :)
Space Ranger.

Looks really well made :)
SEH

Hey, that music was by I, Cactus. Oh wait, it says that at the end.

It’s like Bust-a-Move, but more … bubbly?
http://www.tscreative.net BMcC

More physicsy. More eyebally.
Neon

<3 physics. Well done art, very good sound simple addicting gameplay. Love it keep it up.
colorFool

Cute! And such nice music too!
Bob

Like we need another Bust-a-Move clone with good graphics.
Sayonara

Like we need another human being called Bob with good graphics.
Horst

Nobody’s going to say it? Fine:
It’s like Snood on crack!
Or maybe just ecstasy and some mild barbiturates.
raelz

i got some weird bug there – i can shoot one ball and then it kinda freezes :(
glorb

boooorrrrring
flue

Horst: Snood is just another Bust-A-Move clone, which plenty of people mentioned already …

Splume was nice.
raelz

Its pretty ok game (yeah, I finally made it to run ok :P), the system that is used is nice (the thingy you have to download), the ideas are a little original, but nothing excellent. They have chosen the wrong game mechanic if they wanted to make somehow interesting game..
http://www.flashbangstudios.com Matthew

Hey Guys,

Regarding the originality–Splume was our first real web game with Unity, so we deliberately picked an established concept. This allowed us to focus on the technical pipeline rather than the design challenges of a new concept.

We have some more basic concepts coming up to test other features in the engine, but before too long we’ll be trying more experimental ideas. Stay tuned!
Bob

Phew. Before your comment, I thought that you were just like PopCap.
Advenith

Bust a Move was one of my favorite games.

…Was.
Kale

Snood, like so many other rip-offs of Puzzle Bobble didn’t add anything to the game. I was furious when I found a GBA copy of Snood on shelves.

Splume actually adds enough to be considered a different game. The level to which the physics and size/shapes make a difference sets it apart almost as much as Magical Drop is from Puzzle Bobble.

Where I fear you may have trouble is in capturing the kind of twitch gameplay that most really good (competitive) puzzle games have with such a physics driven game. I find that with most games that involve physics, unless it is a VERY real world scenario, you only KIND OF know what the outcome will be.

That said, I am excited to see where it goes. I can see the 2-player mode being pretty fun co-op. I would be interested to see levels where each player would have a different set of colors that they cycled through, forcing them to really communicate if they wanted to get combos. ;D
Moose

Wants me to download an unknown web browser plug in with no pedigree. Sorry :(
http://www.steveswink.com Steve Swink

Moose: It’s the Unity player – http://www.unity3d.com. Not sure what your definition of ‘pedigree’ is but Unity is a great company and there’s no malware or toolbars or anything like that attached. Basically like downloading the Flash plugin. Their web player is nice, fairly robust, and does sweet 3d stuff.
http://www.tscreative.net BMcC

Yeah, Moose, don’t be a sissy. :D