Tumblestone
The cover art of Tumblestone showing characters battling colored blocks known as tumblestones.
Developer(s)The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild
Publisher(s)Nighthawk Interactive
Designer(s)Ty Taylor
Programmer(s)Alex Schearer
Artist(s)Mario Castañeda
Writer(s)Justin Nafziger
Composer(s)M.J. Quigley
Engine
Platform(s)Linux, macOS, Wii U, Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch
Release
July 12, 2016
  • Linux, macOS, Wii U, Windows
  • July 12, 2016
  • Xbox One
  • July 16, 2016
  • PlayStation 4
  • July 26, 2016
  • Android, iOS
  • July 31, 2017
  • Nintendo Switch
  • October 5, 2017
Genre(s)Match-3, Action
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Tumblestone is a 2016 match-3 game developed by The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild and published by Nighthawk Interactive. The game was digitally released on the Nintendo eShop[1] and launched for PC, Mac, and Linux on July 12, 2016. It was published on the Xbox One on July 16,[2] and released for retail on Wii U and PlayStation 4 on August 30, 2016.[1][3]

The Nintendo Switch version was released on October 5, 2017.[4] Since its debut, Tumblestone has been critically acclaimed for its take on the puzzle genre.

Gameplay

Main game

Tumblestone is a 2D puzzle game that tasks the player with clearing every square, known as tumblestones, from a board. In Tumblestone's story mode, the player progresses through a map of 12 worlds in a way that is similar to the layout of Super Mario World. Each level has an enclosed space that is filled with colored squares; the player must keep matching three squares of the same color until the space is clear. Modifiers are added to the gameplay for each world, including gray blocks that toggle on and off called "togglers" and multicolored blocks called "wildcards" that when selected can pair with any color on the wildcard itself.

The player may choose to skip levels with tokens earned midway through a world.[5] At the end of each world, the player battles in a "puzzle race", a challenge in which the player must clear a grid three times before the upcoming character does.

Side games

Single-player

Tumblestone has three single-player arcade modes. Heartbeat Mode involves the player constantly eliminating blocks from a descending wall, Marathon Mode has a glass wall as its main twist, and Infinipuzzle has an infinite grid of blocks on which the player has to focus to clear grids for as long as possible.[6]

Multi-player

Plot

Queen Cleo, the ruler of a desert kingdom, encounters colored blocks with faces known as "tumblestones". Cleo meets the Goblin King, who discovers that an ancient artifact known as the "Tumblecrown" exists. The Goblin King ventures to other lands.

Development

While developing a video game called The Bridge, founder of The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild Ty Taylor met artist Mario Castañeda. In an interview, Taylor stated, "once [he] learned how to make videogames, [he] was always doing it".[7] The Bridge was released on Steam and won in the 2012 Indie Game Challenge for Achievement in Art Direction and Gameplay.[8]

The concept for Tumblestone was invented during a 48-hour game jam, where he met writer Justin Nafziger and programmer Alex Schearer, the latter of whom had prior experience at Microsoft.[9] The theme was "Rainbows and Perseverance".[10] Taylor worked with Nafziger, Schearer, and Castañeda to produce a prototype that began as a Space Invaders-like game in which the player has to shoot three identical, moving, colored ships in a row into still blocks using a specific concept.[11]

At PAX 2015, Tumblestone was part of the PAX 10 program in which 10 indie games are selected for the public to playtest.[11]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Metacritic, Tumblestone had average scores of 71, 91, and 82 for its Xbox One,[12] PC,[13] and Wii U versions[14] respectively. On OpenCritic, the game has a "strong" approval rating, with a Critics Recommend score of 71%.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 Theriault, Donald (June 29, 2016). "Tumblestone Dated For Retail And eShop". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  2. ↑ Riaz, Adnan (June 28, 2016). "Action Puzzle Game Tumblestone Receives a Release Date for Console, PC". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ Federico, Philip (June 30, 2016). "Nighthawk Interactive to Co-publish The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild's Action-Puzzle Game Tumblestone on PlayStation 4 and Wii U at Retail, Coming Aug. 30". Capsule Computers. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Tumblestone (NS)". VGChartz. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  5. ↑ Janes, Ryan (November 13, 2017). "Tumblestone Review". Nintendo Insider. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ Latshaw, Tim (July 29, 2016). "Tumblestone Review (Wii U eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ Taylor, Ty (January 15, 2019). "Seattle Indies Spotlight: Ty Taylor" (Interview). Interviewed by Anthony Ritchey. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  8. ↑ Tach, Dave (December 15, 2012). "GameStop cancels this year's Indie Game Challenge, future unclear". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ McGrane, Clare (January 23, 2017). "Seattle's 'thriving' indie game community gets creative at the Global Game Jam". GeekWire. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ Taylor, Ty (April 8, 2014). "Ty Taylor on Tumblestone" (Interview). Interviewed by Steve H. Somnambulant Gamer. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Taylor, Ty (August 26, 2015). "A Fiendish Conversation with Ty Taylor" (Interview). Interviewed by Seth Sommerfield. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Tumblestone for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Tumblestone for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Tumblestone for Wii U Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Tumblestone". OpenCritic. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  16. ↑ Hancock, Patrick. "Review: Tumblestone". Destructoid. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
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