Minecraft-inspired sandbox game The Blockheads heading to the App Store next week
Building on firm foundations
After putting iOS gamers in the cockpit of a military helicopter in Chopper and Chopper 2, Majik Jungle's David Frampton decided to take a leaf out of Minecraft's blocky book for his next project.
The result is The Blockheads, a 2D sandbox game based around randomly generated worlds, exploration, and crafting mechanics.
If those last three features sound familiar, then you've probably gone axe-to-onyx with Mojang's time-wasting phenomenon Minecraft at some point in your life.
"It wasn't my intention to make a Minecraft-like game," Frampton revealed to Pocket Gamer. "When I first started on The Blockheads, I intended it to be a game about evolution."
"Later, I decided to base it on people instead of animals so they could interact more with the world. And as a result, it drifted more towards Minecraft."
While it's true there's a lot of commonality between The Blockheads and Notch's cuboid baby, Frampton was keen to deviate from Minecraft's model where appropriate.
For example, players will get the chance to control up to three Blockheads at once in Frampton's title, lending the game a multitasking element more in keeping with a god sim.
What's more, these right-angled avatars have needs... and even feelings. You'll have to manage and satisfy these urges and emotions if your Blockheads are to work at full capacity.
During the game, you can also purchase time crystals, which you can use to generate more Blockheads or speed up your progress. Frampton is keen to stress, though, that you don't have to spend money to enjoy the game.
We'll have to wait until January 10th to get our hands on The Blockheads. It'll be available as a free download for iPhone and iPad.
