Konami announces new title Wire Way for the iPhone at GamesCom

Konami has so far stuck to what it knows as far as the iPhone goes. We’ve had Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid and Dance Dance Revolution. So it’s good to see that the company has been busy crafting some more bespoke iPhone offerings, notably so with Wire Way.

With bold bright characters and a design that will keep the Rolando crowd feeling thoroughly at home, Wire Way impresses from the off. It’s the gameplay and the game’s suitability to the iPhone that really shines however.

You play a little black and white character, Riley, that’s suspended on a wire. The aim is to move from the bottom to the top of the screen, collecting stars and other power-ups and rebounding off bumpers as you go.

To do this you simply place a finger on Riley, pull back and then release, to ping him onto the next wire. It’s extremely addictive and the game’s producer Axel De Rouge had a hard time commanding our attention while our eyes were glued to the screen.

Between bouts of play, De Rouge imparted, “this is a game that really makes sense on the iPhone’s screen, the orientation is just such a natural fit.”

Indeed it is, as is the game’s funky style and customizable elements. Beating levels and taking down bosses (which include angry chickens and evil panda bears) earns new masks and accessories to decorate Riley with as you progress.

There are multiplayer modes promised too, though at this early stage, it’s unclear what form they will take. The game is being designed with the iPhone’s 3.0 software in mind (though it will be compatible with earlier OSs too) and a mixture of free and paid for updates are mooted to arrive gradually.

The game is also making its way to the DS, not as a DSiWare title, but as a boxed retail product, so it will be interesting to see how the pricing of Wire Ware pans out on the App Store.

We don’t have long to wait to find out however as the game will be released this coming November. Look out for some video of the game very soon.