Symmetrain




Title-Symmetrain

 

About | Background | Development History | Features | Videos | Images | Logo & Icon | Reviews
Technical Specifications | Team

 

About

Symmetrain is a beautiful puzzle game intended for the whole family. Choose a train and spot the differences in the passing landscape. The landscape left and right of the train tracks is mirrored. Almost. Find as many hidden differences as possible and restore the symmetry. Tap the correct object and reveal the missing counterpart! Use the emergency brake when it gets too tricky. Master faster and more difficult trains and unlock many new enchanting landscapes.

 

Background Idea

Daniel Goffin: “I used to travel a lot with my family and whenever we travelled by bus, train or plane there was nothing more interesting than looking out of the window and seeing the outside world pass by. All kinds of things, buildings, trees and landscapes were dragged a long in front of my eyes like on giant endless tapestry. Depending on the mode of transportation I could catch a glimpse of the local daily life or everything simply whizzed by in a blur. To pass the time my brother and me started making up small games: Simple ones like “I see a thing that you don’t” and the added time pressure before the object had vanished made the game more thrilling.

Later, I preferred traveling just with my brother. I was older and realized that part of the fun of traveling was the actual journey. I remember sitting in a high speed bullet train that didn’t go anywhere because of an accident or passing the glittering lights of Paris at night. During this time we made a lot of music together and we still had our own games.

Symmetrain is an amalgam of these experiences: Coming up with silly ideas while traveling; wishing that the journey will never end; and having a few simple instruments to orchestrate the soundtrack. A game that leaves room for imagination but also offers a means for friendly competition.”

 

Development History

Daniel Goffin: “The core concept for Symmetrain was developed in the summer of 2012. A few months later I tried my hands at several engines for beginners but did not get very far due to my lack of coding skills. I then asked my friends at Black Pants Studio if they knew someone at the university that would be able to code what I had in mind. This is how Philipp Beau got onto the team.”

Our community is part of the development process. The players and testers rewarded us with valuable feedback and got insight in the whole progress of the game. The first beta version of Symmetrain was released in early 2013. It included 1 level, which gave our testers a first impression of the gameplay. Symmetrain was released on the iOS App Store on October 31st.

 

Features

• A game for everyone – easy trains for beginners and children, fast and challenging trains for the skilled
• Eight trains to unlock and play each with a different speed, look and travel route
• A picturesque world full of lovely hand-drawn graphics
• Dynamic generated game play – no challenge is the same
• A smooth guitar soundtrack that you will not forget
• Game Center integration and iCloud synchronization – compete against your friends for the ultimate highscore

 

Videos

Download ZIP with all videos (63.9MB)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUh-S8pm5jE]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXyQoYxzpio]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bQE0SRXSDE]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg5rcXM5LH8]

 

Images

Download ZIP with all images (25.1MB)
 

Symmetrain - Salty Blues
Symmetrain - Sweet Greens
Symmetrain - Sweet Greens
Symmetrain - How it Works

 
Symmetrain - The Rocket
Symmetrain - The American
Symmetrain - The Cargo
Symmetrain - The Zeppelin

 
Symmetrain - Tap the Difference
Symmetrain - Mushrooms Windmills
Symmetrain - Small Town Station
Symmetrain - Village Station

 
Symmetrain - Choose Your Speed
Symmetrain - Leaving Start Station
Symmetrain - Military Base Station
Symmetrain - Trees Rocks

 
Symmetrain - Travel in Style
Symmetrain - Leaving Start Station
Symmetrain - Rocks Ruins Houses
Symmetrain - Small Stilted Station

 

Logo & Icon

Symmetrain App Icon 1024x1024
Black Pants Studio - Logo

 

Reviews

“It’s an ingenious concept, and it works well in practice. The controls are simple and responsive, and the whole thing is lifted by some excellent, picturebook-style hand-drawn artwork.” Rob Hearn – pocketgamer.co.uk

 

Technical Specifications

  • Platform: iOS Devices
  • Engine: cocos2d-iPhone
  • Genre: Puzzle & Spot the Difference Game
  • Theme: Comic
  • Publishing: Black Pants Studio

 

Team

Daniel Goffin is responsible for the design and art of Symmetrain. He studied illustration and comics at the School of Art and Design in Kassel. He has had jobs in the games industry a few times already but Symmetrain is his first own production.

Philipp Beau is the coder and co-designer of the game. He studied computer science at the University Kassel before moving to Amsterdam. He is currently enrolled at the University van Amsterdam studying artificial intelligence.

Pascal Goffin wrote and recorded the music for Symmetrain. He studied acting at the Zurich University of the Arts. Currently he is working at the Konzert Theater Bern. Next to that he is an active musician and songwriter. He is Daniel’s younger brother.