I am always happy when developers release truly original game concepts for our mobile devices, and that is exactly what Concrete Software (and Mobigloo) seems to have found with their latest release Abyss.  While it has elements which may remind us of games we have seen before, the concept behind this one appears to be unlike anything I have played before.  Abyss is one of those puzzle games which sounds easy enough, but will challenge you for hours.  Just slide the pieces in order to stop your pearls from dropping into the abyss.  Read on for the full press release.

Concrete Software, Inc.®, a leader in innovative mobile content, announced today the release of Abyss for Android and Windows Mobile devices.  Abyss is an original action puzzle game that challenges you to rearrange colored pieces by sliding them horizontally and vertically to create a path for your pearls so they do not fall into the abyss of the ocean. It was recently named the grand prize winner of the Verizon Wireless “Apply Your Ideas” contest for the BlackBerry smartphone version done by Mobigloo.

Abyss has a simple concept, for ease of play, but still tests your strategy and problem solving skills by increasing the difficulty of each level as you progress.  This game is for all players, especially for those who enjoy challenging puzzles and strategy games.  A unique feature to this game is the unlimited number of levels- the game continues to increase in difficulty by adding more pearls.  It also randomly generates each game, so you will never get the same game. Moreover, Abyss utilizes touchscreen and accelerometer capabilities (accelerometer for Android only) for innovative and fun game play.

Abyss is expected to gain much attention from the Android and Windows Mobile communities.  The full and trial versions are available through the Android Market as well as other channels.

The JAMM Store Deal of the Day is Aces Blackjack for Windows Mobile.  Aces Blackjack is a very nicely done card game by Concrete Software.  For today only, you can register Aces Blackjack for half the regular price, so hurry up so that you can get in on the betting!

Aces Blackjack is a classic blackjack game with a few twists. Play classic style blackjack and use the included reference card to improve your game or kick it up a notch and play one of the two high score games – Aces Time Crunch and Aces Hand Challenge! Features: Play up to 10 decks at a time. Aces Time Crunch: High score race against the clock! Aces Hand Challenge: Every play counts against a set number of hands. Cut card indicating how much of deck has been dealt. Game and career statistics. 4 game speeds. Set the table limits. Split up to 3 hands. Dealer Insurance option. Automatic save.

Minimum Requirements: Works for all Pocket PC 2002/2003/2003 SE/Windows Mobile 5.0, 6.0, and 6.1 devices. Display Dimensions 240×240, 240×320, 240×400, 320×240, 320×320, 400×240, 480×480, 480×640, 480×800, 640×480, 800×480 Operating System Pocket PC 2003, Pocket PC 2003 SE, WM5, WM6, WM6.1, WM6.5

Last year, I had the chance to check out a new game from Concrete Software, Nintaii.  One look at the game, and you will instantly understand the name, which means patience, perseverance, or endurance in Japanese.  All you need to do is roll a block through the maze and out the exit.  Sound easy?  It is…for the first level or two.  Then the fun really begins as the spaces get narrower, and the block just won’t quite fit the way you need it. 

Now, Concrete Software has announced a follow-up to Nintaii…Nintaii 2 (which is very aptly named).  In addition to the fantastic graphics and gameplay options you enjoyed in the original game, the sequel also features plenty of new in-game twists like ghost tiles, glass tiles, and springs, and even connects to a new Open Feint social media component. 

Read on for the full press release, and then check out Nintaii 2 in the iTune App Store for $0.99.  For more information, head over to Concrete Software.

Concrete Software, Inc.®, a leader in innovative mobile content, announced today the release of Nintaii 2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch to be sold in the App Store. Nintaii 2, the follow-up to the hit game Nintaii, is a strategic puzzle game that includes 100 brand new levels with new features and obstacles for enjoyable and challenging game play.

The success and rave reviews for the original game Nintaii, are sure to make Nintaii 2 a hit game as well. The Japanese term "nintaii" means "patience, perseverance, or endurance." Both games encourage players to use all three to complete the ever increasing difficulty and complexity of the 100 levels. Nintaii 2 keeps the unique concept of rolling a block through a maze of tiles and dropping it into the end destination to complete a level- but new twists were added including ghost tiles, glass tiles, and springs.

Another new addition to Nintaii 2 is OpenFeint, the social media component of gaming. Nintaii players can join the OpenFeint community to share information, tips, and hints with each other, give feedback to the developers, and view multiple leader boards. Players can earn points by completing achievements and winning challenges. This adds an element of competition, as friends can challenge one another, while still building a community for Nintaii players to interact.

Nintaii 2 invites a new experience for game players and raises the bar for expectations of a puzzle game. It is currently available for the iPhone and iPod Touch via the App Store along with a free demo version.

When I was a kid (waaaaay back in the 1970’s), one of the most popular toys around was the ant farm.  This was a wild contraption, made of clear plastic.  Inside was a mess of dirt, some plastic scenery, and a bunch of ants.  The fun came in as you watched the ants burrow through the dirt, monitoring their interactions and behavior.  It was one of those toys which, while we may not have realized it at the time, was both Educational and fun.   Well, now one of my favorite developers, Concrete Software, is bringing this experience…and a whole lot more directly to your iPhone and iPod Touch with the fantastic simulation  game, Ant Hill.

Ant Hill allows you to simulate not one, but two separate ant colonies: the peaceful black ants, and the more aggressive red fire ants.  You can control how many ants are on the screen at a time, the ratio of black to red ants, and even how aggressive the red ants are toward the black ants.  Be careful, the higher you raise the aggression meter, the more likely it is that the red ants will attack and devour your entire colony of black ants.  It would be nice if you could give your black ants some tools to defend themselves against the attacking red ants.

Once you have setup the colonies, you are ready to unleash them on the world.  But don’t feel like you need to just sit back and watch things move on their own.  You are kind of like a little ant-god.  You have quite a bit of influence and control over the activities of the colony.

The first tool at your disposal is the classic ant-mutilating magnifying glass.  Just hold it up to to concentrate the sun’s rays.  And…well, those of you who were once young boys know the rest.  Just like those idyllic summer days, just watch as the ants run around…quite literally burning their tails off.

Of course, if fire is not exactly your thing, then make it rain.  Although, in this game, it does not rain water.  Here, when you make it rain, rocks fall from the sky.  Giant rocks, which can crush whole colonies of ants at a time.  Use them to punish your colony, or to protect them from marauding red ants invading your colony.

Not everything in this game is designed to torture the ants, however.  In addition to dropping rocks on them, you can also drop strawberries, which the ants will simply devour.  I am not sure that feeding the ants does anything within the game, but it is pretty cool to watch the ants rip apart that strawberry.

You can even just decide to take up stakes and move your entire colony from one part of the screen to another.  There are two ways to do this.  First, you can just tap the Move Hill icon.  Doing so allows you to decide whether to build a red ant hill or a black ant hill.  Again, this warring faction idea is a good one, but in practice, it really ends up feeling very one sided since the black ants really have no means of defense or even protection.  Let alone the ability to counterattack the red ants.

Additionally, you can cause an Earthquake.  To do this, just turn on the accelerometer and give your iPhone a good hard shake.  Causing an earthquake will basically reset the game.  It destroys your ant hill, sending the entire colony of ants scattering to all corners.  They will quickly regroup, however, building a new black ant hill (but not a red one) in a random location on the screen.

Probably my least used option in the game was the path.  Just draw a line on the screen and the ants will follow the path you set.  What is pretty cool here, though, is that even after the line you draw disappears, the path remains.  The colony will continue to follow this path as long as this option is selected.  I rarely used this feature, and found it really did not add much to gameplay.

My favorite feature in this game is the race.  Just select whether to race for stones or strawberries.  This will pit the red ants and black ants against one another in a direct head-to-head competition, either devouring strawberries or moving stones across enemy lines. 

As much as I enjoyed this game, I did find that after a few times through, the seven controls you had got a bit stale.  This is a real problem with this genre of simulation games.  There is only so much you can do with it.  That is why I think Pocket God is a shining example of how these games could and should behave.  That game staves off the staleness problem by releasing a new update with a single additional feature each week.  That means every week, just as the game is starting to look stale, there is going to be something new to explore.  I think Ant Hill could learn from this lesson.  Although there have been a few updates, there have not really been any significant changes or updates in gameplay.  I think Concrete Software would do well to offer more regular updates, particularly at the gameplay level.

What I Liked:

• Unique and creative simulation game
• Fantastic animation and artificial intelligence

What Needs Improvement:

• The game gets stale without the addition of new features
• More weapons, abilities, or defenses for the black ants

Price: $0.99

Developer: www.concretesoftware.com

Our friends at Concrete Software have made a number of fantastic apps for Windows Mobile and the iPhone/iPod Touch (and I am told their apps for other platforms don’t suck so bad either, though I have never tried them.)  So, I was pretty excited to give their latest game, Nintaii a try.  Hit the jump to see what I really thought.

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