Tetris, Lemmings and a Brand New Business Model

WARSAW, Poland - Aug. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- Introduction

Mojang pioneered the "early access" program, Tim Schafer animated Kickstarter and Humble Bundle reinvented the Pay-What-You-Want model. Crunching Koalas (http://crunchingkoalas.com) has their own way of distributing games and it's called Give-What-You-Feel.

The brand new business model has been introduced with the Alpha release of MouseCraft (http://mouse-craft.com), their tile-matching puzzle game described as a cross between Lemmings and Tetris.

See it for yourself: http://mouse-craft.com/store


Details

The ultimate goal of the game is to assist the crazy cat scientist in activating his mysterious, mice-powered machine.

In each level players will have to create a path for the mice, so they can reach a piece of beloved cheese. To help them, gamers will have to use Tetromino blocks and pile them up, destroy, rotate and use the properties of special bricks. Only a few of these are implemented in the current version, but more will be added as the game gets closer to final release.

MouseCraft Alpha is available for free, so everyone can play, test and send feedback on the game. If someone decides he wants to pay for the full version, he can choose how much he is willing to contribute and what they want their dollars to count toward.

MouseCraft allows players to divide your contribution between different ongoing projects in the game's development. These projects include adding more levels, new types of bricks and graphic themes or implementing an online system for exchanging user-generated maps. Crunching Koalas will then look at how their budget has been spread out by the community, and prioritize future development accordingly.

Unlike the Pay What You Want model, Give-What-You-Feel does not force players to beat the average price to get the additional content. Crunching Koalas state: "It is always the player who decides how much the game is worth to him".

The developers also believe that for both casual and core gamers, the value of a game lies in its ability to appeal to player's preferences.

Download MouseCraft's free Alpha:

http://crunchingkoalas.com/betaprogram

Acquire the full version of MouseCraft through the Give-What-You-Feel model:

http://mouse-craft.com/store

Highlighted Features in MouseCraft Include:

Experience a remix of two classic gameplay mechanics: Pile up Tetromino bricks to create a safe path for as many mice as possible.
Discover an epic tale of a crazy cat scientist who is striving to unlock the potential of a mysterious, mice-powered machine.
Defeat obstacles, overcome gaps and gather collectibles by using different types of blocks, be it jelly, explosive, or crumbling.
Prove your stacking skills by playing the game in a fast-paced Arcade mode or a mind-challenging Puzzle mode.
Get involved by creating your own maps and show off your creativity by sharing these with the rest of the community.
Listen to the groovy soundtrack created by Mikolai Stroinski (http://mikolaistroinski.com), the composer who scored Dark Souls 2 announcement trailer.

Media Assets

Alpha Launch Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2bQ-Y_h-DQ



Screenshots: https://crunchingkoalas.com/presskit/MouseCraft/images/images.zip

Full presskit: https://crunchingkoalas.com/presskit/sheet.php?p=MouseCraft

About Crunching Koalas

Crunching Koalas is a small, but ambitious independent studio, based in Warsaw, Poland. Their mission is to deliver fulfilling experiences, by patiently crafting cheerful digital entertainment for all those, who need a break.

Studio was founded by five fresh developers: Tom Tomaszewski, Lukasz Juszczyk, Kris Lesiecki, and two casual game industry veterans- Konrad Olesiewicz and Maciej Biedrzycki, founders of Codeminion (http://codeminion.com/) and creators of many games, such as Ancient Quest of Saqqarah or Phantasmat.

Press Contact

Tom Tomaszewski

Co-Founder and Lead Programmer

tom@crunchingkoalas.com

+48500140642

http://twitter.com/tom_tomaszewski