Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash wants YOU!

Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash has just been nominated for the Greek Game of the Year Award 2019, by esteemed Greek video game and entertainment media website GameWorld.gr!

GameWorld has been organizing the Awards for 11 years now, making it the longest-running (and only!) Greek gaming companies awards competition. Many brilliant games and developers have been awarded this honor in the past, including last year's impressive Crying Is Not Enough. Though not a surprising turn of events (considering all Greek games developed within the calendar year are eligible contenders for the Award), having Ninja Tag Team among this year's nominees is an exciting, and humbling moment for me personally. Hence, I wanted to take a moment to say a big THANK YOU to all the fans of the game (a special shout-out to I-Sheep Gr for their continuing support and love for the game, which I am sure has diffused significant traffic to the game's download page and social media channels) for making the effort put into the 2-year development of NTT worthwhile!

And with your help, Ninja Tag Team can become the next Greek Game of the Year!

GameWorld's Game of the Year awards are open to the public and voted on by the fans. So if you think Ninja Tag Team was the top Greek game of the year 2019, you can head over to the Contest Forum post, cast your vote and comment to let the world know of your favorite game. Your effort will not have been in vain either, as GameWorld has accumulated numerous prizes you can win simply for casting your vote. So whether you’re interested in participating, or just want a shot at a brand new PS4 Pro, simply read the rules and conditions and get voting!

Why so difficult? Finally addressing the challenge in Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash

Time for my first "real" blog post. It's been a while! Hopefully, I can keep this going on, as reading through other dev blogs (most notably the excellent Frictional Games blog) has been a huge inspiration for me over the years, and has helped me towards honing my own skills as a game developer. So please forgive any shortcomings, as I try to get better every single passing day. I hope you enjoy this post, and hopefully there will be more in a more frequent manner than once every 4 years!

The reason for this "epiphany": I recently submitted Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash to the 16th International Mobile Gaming Awards, figuring, well, "why not?"

The submission process was a weird experience for me. Not because of any quirky user interface or the clarity of the submission guidelines, but rather due to the fact that I felt I had to be the reviewer for my own game, having to describe why I felt the game is deserving of a nomination (or even why it should win one of this year's categories). So this got me thinking about NTT, and why it truly is unique, not for myself as a developer, having spent two years working on weekday afternoons and till late at night, as well as entire weekends and bank holidays to complete a game I am proud to stand behind and show people at live events, such as the recent Digital Expo 2019, but as a gamer and somewhat a reviewer. What gives NTT an edge over the fierce competition of this year's Awards (keep in mind Mario Kart Tour, Dr. Mario and Call of Duty®: Mobile all came out this year, not to mention the tons of amazing indie games released for mobile platforms in 2019, as well as major updates for existing games also nominated for this year's awards)? Here is my opinion:

Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash is a hardcore platformer, one that's a lot more challenging than you’d assume.

What sets Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash apart from similar games, beyond its unique rich, illustrated art style, are its sense of speed and precision, inspired by ground-breaking games such as Super Meat Boy, and interjected into the endless running formula. As such, NTT is a hardcore platformer, one that's a lot more challenging than you’d assume, with all the features of a traditional platform adventure game (e.g. boss battles, interactive environments, multiple levels), but all that in the guise of an endless runner, requiring the player to bypass obstacles that demand quick reflexes and TONS of practice. That is what makes the game (in my opinion, as well as the feedback I've gathered from players since the game's release) highly addictive. That is one of the best compliments on the game I've heard from players, as well as seeing them tap that Game Over screen with stubborn determination to do better in the next round. Evoking that "can't put it down" feeling is the best thing I can imagine a game like NTT can achieve. That's what I was aiming for during development.

Of course, I've been asked time and again to crank down the difficulty, or include a difficulty setting for more casual play. I actually know people who have given up on the game altogether because they have got so frustrated with it. However, in keeping with the game's SMB-inspired formula, NTT is a game that revels in its addictive yet frustrating game play: there is practically no back-tracking, no far-away checkpoints (except for when reaching the Boss, because I am not a total monster!), collected coins are always added to the player's bank, and unlocked bosses can be practised on in Boss Rush mode. Basically, starting a level over is no different from making it to the next platform after a failed jump. Yes, you might have to kill enemies all over again to get that much closer to the Boss, but, on the other hand, all your earned coins can be cashed in for a power-up that will make it all the more easy to get there. I believe that is a fair trade-off.

NTT is a game that starts off relatively straightforward, allowing players to teach themselves the basics of jumping (the reach, height and timing), but by design ramps up the difficulty soon enough, since mastering the Switch and pulling off air attacks is key to success. Given time, players will be running, jumping and taking out baddies with ease. And when they nail it, this will fill them with immense satisfaction.

"Boss Rush" lets you practice on an unlocked Boss, and figure out how to defeat him/her.

This, combined with the fact that the game manages to squeeze out every single ounce of gameplay potential it has, given the simplistic control scheme, is what I believe drove me to decide and submit NTT for an IMGA. This is made more evident in the game's six unique Boss battles. Each boss has its own strategy, and the path to victory will not always be clear right away, as players will be made aware of interactive elements in the environment to create an opening for an attack. Each boss fight brings something different to the mix: there are long-range bosses, indestructible bosses, sinking platforms and slow-down, requiring players to take all skill gained from mastering the Switch mechanic and apply it in a different way each time to get past the boss. This definitely adds to the title's gameplay and longevity, as figuring out how to defeat each boss is a rewarding experience all on its own.

Having said that, do you think NTT succeeds in its goals or do you find it plain frustrating? Have you fallen in love with it, or have you shouted and cursed at it and given up? What games have provided you with that perfect balance of just right?

Gortyn Code @ Digital Expo 2019!

Gortyn Code will attend DIGITAL EXPO 2019 POWERED BY OMEN which will take place at the Peristeri Exhibition Center on 28-29 September.



Stop by the booth, say hello, and get exclusive hints and tips to master Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash by the game's developer, Konstantinos Apostolakis.

See you there!

Ninja Tag Team review on I-Sheep.gr

Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash review at I-Sheep Gr. Check out their take on the game here: link.

Many thanks to the staff at I-Sheep Gr, and especially reviewer Konstantinos Zorbas for their interest in the game and eventual article!

Ninja Tag Team on Techgear.gr!

Another article for Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash, this time by Techgear.gr! You can check out their feature at this link.

Many thanks to the staff at Techgear.gr for their article!

Ninja Tag Team on The Tech.gr!

Fresh upon the release of Gortyn Code's latest game Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash, the crew at The Tech.gr have been kind enough to feature an article on the game. They've been even kind enough to feature the Ninja Tag Team trailer, in case you might have missed it!

You can check out their article here.

Many thanks to the staff at The Tech.gr for their article!

New Gortyn Code title announced!

Cretan single-person game development studio Gortyn Code announced its new endless runner title Ninja Tag Team: Slash n' Dash today!

More info, screenshots and launch trailer is available in this link!

Updated Terms of Use

In preparation for its latest release, Gortyn Code has recently changed its Terms of Use. You can check them out here.

Updated Privacy Policy

In preparation for its latest release, Gortyn Code has recently changed its Privacy Policy. You can check it out here.

Gortyn Code new website

Today, I am happy to announce and release the new, redesigned website for Gortyn Code. Everything you need to know about the studio, can now be found at this address: https://gortyncode.blogspot.com

As we bid goodbye to the old greexcel.sprites blogspot, I am determined to maintain a high quality web space for all your latest Gortyn Code news and announcements. In due time, I will sync with the Facebook account, as there's more exciting things to come around, this month. Stay tuned!

Kostas

Gortyn Code Homecoming

Happy new year!

2019 is a significant year for Gortyn Code. After many years in Thessaloniki, Greece, it is with great pleasure that I announce that Gortyn Code will continue its activities operating in my beloved hometown, Heraklion, Crete.

There's more announcements to come, soon. Watch this space...

Kostas