14 DAY TRIAL // A freak accident has served as the main source of inspiration for an upcoming iPhone game that uses tilt controls to guide a falling person through a construction shaft, where the player tries to avoid as many obstacles as possible.
The game is called Plummet, but the author of this intriguing story has yet to divulge his own name. The social networking ties on brokenbackgames.com are placeholders for the time being, and all we have is an email address that may come in handy ([email protected]) if the situation calls for an interview. For now, though, we’re curious to see the title in action.
The "backstory"
The author relays his mishap (hardly the appropriate term to describe such a severe accident, but it’s Monday morning and the neurons in charge with generating synonyms are still sleeping) on brokenbackgames.com, a site specifically set up to advertise and sell the game.
“Seven years ago while in Beijng I had a freak accident. With no warning, I tumbled down a construction shaft and fractured my spine. My sole memory of the accident was the free falling plummet I had before hitting my head on the side [...] I was there for an hour before firemen were called in to pull me out of this enclosed space. It was easily the most terrifying experience of my life and has caused me considerable consistent pain for the last seven years.”
The author doesn’t make it clear if the accident left him paralyzed or just injured, but it’s safe to assume he’s not playing any professional sports at the time being. What he is invested in, and heavily might we add, is the release of a free-falling video game that seems to resemble endless runners quite a lot. The only difference here is that, instead of going upwards on the screen, you go downwards.
Gameplay, scoring system, newsletter
Based on the author’s real-life fall from seven years ago, Plummet has players guiding the main character through a Beijing construction shaft as he plummets.
The game allegedly has quite some replayability because the shaft is randomly generated every time you play. The graphics are based on the real hole and the author, though he admits his beard is not as ginger in real life.
The control mechanism is based on the accelerometer found inside iDevices, so you’ll need to tilt left and right to guide the man through the shaft.
“The technology, connection and information available today empowered me mark the 7th anniversary of my Beijing back-breaker into an iphone game like no other. Hope you enjoy the free-fall,” the author concludes.
A newsletter is available for those eager to know when the binary has hit the App Store. According to the game’s site, it should be out on January 4, 2015. No word on the pricing for now.
