Sponsored Feature: Neuchatel On Blast Angle

Playing as a tank in a turn-based strategy title seems to go against what makes it such a fun vehicle to use in the first place - namely, unbridled destruction.

Blast Angle, the latest title from developers Neuchatel, looks to fly in the face of that received logic, though. With a Worms-style setup, a varied soundtrack (created by DJs from across Europe), and a unique art style, it definitely has a chance of making an impact.

Karan Khemani, CEO of Neuchatel, told us about Blast Angle's influences, its online element, and future plans for the game.

AppSpy: How have you made sure that Blast Angle stands out in the competitive marketplace that is the App Store?

Karan Khemani: The first two iShoot games (titles similar to Blast Angle) were raging successes owing to their unique features. But, they left fans waiting for a Part 3.

This is where we come in, by picking up from where they left off.

We have painstakingly ensured that Blast Angle is in a different league to competitors in the same space, due to both its high-end particle effects and surreal soundtrack and ambient sounds.

AppSpy: How important do you think the online mode in the game is in keeping people playing?

Karan: This is, in my opinion, where Blast Angle offers long-term replay value over and above the competition. Not only does online multiplayer actually work in our game (which is a big thing on the App Store), but it also has a strong social network element where you can chat to your opponent in real time, for example.

More importantly, while the single-player offline campaign takes about a week to master, the real fun (and addictiveness) begins online.

AppSpy: Were you inspired by any other titles when developing Blast Angle?

Karan: Absolutely. Our team of creative designers were all Mac lovers in the '80s and '90s, and one of the biggest titles back then was Dome Wars. This, along with Worms and, more recently, iShoot is what inspired us to develop Blast Angle.

AppSpy: Can you explain how the game's environmental physics engine has been designed to make sure that the game doesn't get too repetitive?

Karan: Apart from using powerful weapons (which you might not have at your disposal at all times), you can employ the various elements around you to your advantage.

Without compromising framerates and without sacrificing any integrity regarding full-HD visuals, we have designed the engine in such a way that you can crack lava pockets, unleash streams of acid in various trajectories, create forest fires to damage your opponent, and benefit from environmental effects, including thunder and rain, to recharge your cannon.

The in-built randomiser ensures that no two playthroughs of a level ever pan out the same, too.

AppSpy: What challenges did you face during the game's development, and how did you overcome them?

Karan: As a team, we hate it when things don't work or only work a little bit. Everything needed to be perfect.

As a firm, we're big on quality control, so due to the complexity of Blast Angle, we must have spent thousands of man-hours just on testing the game (pixel by pixel, literally) with our expert developer FuGenX.

AppSpy: Which part of the game are you and your team the most proud of, and why?

Karan: It's a tough call, but for me it would be the surreal environments coupled with the eerie and New Age soundtrack.

It depends on which member of the team you ask, I guess, for some love the weapons, while some love the environmental physics engine.

AppSpy: Do you have anything planned in terms of future updates for Blast Angle, and if so, can you give us any details on what these might include?

Karan: This depends on the success of Blast Angle '1'. We are charging 69p / 99c for the title, and since we are not a fan of in-app purchases, everything inside the game is free (in fact, the professional soundtracks alone are worth a pretty packet).

If we meet our ROI targets on Blast Angle, we guarantee our fans that a Part 2 will be out. Our team has already designed the second title conceptually.

Blast Angle is available in the App Store now, and costs 69p / 99c [iTunes link].

Take a look at the trailer for the game below: