In this small 1.0.2 update we squashed some bugs and improved menu handling in pause:
BUG - minor - when jumping on dialog init with NPCs char can stuck in the ground blocking other actions
BUG - trivial - jumping on dialogue start may not display the very first message
BUG - medium - when rushing through the objects in powerup mode char can be killed by the objects
UI - reduce navigation delay in the pause menu
Extra - entering dialogue mode with NPCs is improved
Ensuring correct version 1.0.1
Ensuring correct version 1.0.1
Marketing package update to v1.0.1
Marketing package update to v1.0.1
Contest time!
Hello everybody!
In order to celebrate the launch of Flippin Kaktus next week, we decided to spice things up and bring you even more excitement! Yes, that's right! Contest time!
The rules of this contest are very simple. It's time to activate your creativity! What would one of our characters say to our spiky hero? And what would be the answer?
All you need to do is to write your own text on the picture above and send a link to it in the comments. The contest lasts until the premiere day - 12.05.2022. We will announce the winners the day after.
We have 5 Steam Keys to give away šµ Good luck and have fun!
Flippin Kaktus Date Reveal | PC, XBOX, PLAYSTATION, NINTENDO SWITCH
Hello everybody!
It's been a while since we posted something here, but don't worry - the game is still in development and we are working on it as always, with great passion and involvement. This post will be special because we have amazing news for you! It's time to announce the Launch Date for Flippin Kaktus! Yes, the big day is coming!
Flippin Kaktus launches May 12, 2022!
We wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for wishlisting our game, it really means a lot. šµ We also prepared a date reveal trailer for you, so feel free to watch it down below and of course, leave the feedback - it's always appreciated!
Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!
Flippin Kaktus Steam Playtest is Here!
We are at an exciting time where we are almost ready for people to get a closer look at Flippin Kaktus!
Our game has now been accepted onto the Steam Playtest feature. In light of this, we have decided to gather some feedback about gameplay, mechanics, and level design so that we can adjust it before the release..
If you are a fan of action-filled side-scrolling run-and-gun types of games we invite you to sign up for the playtest of the latest version of the game Playtest feature TODAY! From the 9st December, we will be granting access to a small group of you in order to get as much info about the game as possible. We will use this time to incorporate some fixes, and adjust the gameplay so that the game will shine!
After playing the game youāll be asked to do a quick survey - please fill in all the details and give us as much as you can - it will help the game, we promise :)
Any further questions, please feel free to join the community discussion over in our Discord channel. Check out the Steam Playtest Q&A below for more details about it.
Steam Playtest Q&A
So what is Steam Playtest and how does it work? The Steam Playtest feature allows anyone interested in trying out Flippin Kaktus to enroll onto a list of playtesters from the Steam store page.
Once enrolled, we will be giving playtesters access to the game in batches starting today. Steam will alert you once you have been accepted. Once you have been granted access, you will be able to play the full latest version of the game without any time limits for as long as we decide to run the playtest. How do I enroll as a playtester? Visit the Flippin Kaktus page and you will find the option to enroll in the same location as the purchase button. Click the button to sign up and youāre all set. Once Steam notifies you that you have access, the game will be available to download in your library.
Flippin Kaktus pokes its way into the Indie Cup Event! + Screenshot Contest
Hello, my cacti with or without black ties!
First things first, I have to thank all of you for wishlisting the game here on Steam and for leaving feedback through the various top-or-not secret channels. Both of these things not only help me reach more people to share my labor of love with but also let me know that there are people out there who care! They care about something I made! It still feels crazy to this day, and I am so grateful to all of you for this crazy feeling, may it never go away.
Now then, vamos al grano, as they say. Today Iām happy to announce that Flippin Kaktus is taking part in the Indie Cup Event on Steam that runs from 7th to 11th of October (aka it starts now!). Iām so excited for my game to reach more people, and Iām honored to participate in this competition. I hope I can count on your support and that you will cheer me and Flippin on in this contest.
Screenshot Contest
Now, with that out of the way, I can share with you some other awesome news. Weāre running a Screenshot Contest in which you can win a FREE key to Flippin Kaktus on the day of release!
What should I do? 1. Download the demo here! 2. Take a cool and amazing screenshot by Steam overlay (default - click F12). 3. Make it public by clicking Views -> Screenshots and click āUploadā below your beautiful screenshot.
4. Now all you need to do is to click āView Onlineā, copy the link to your screenshot and share it HERE.
You have time until October 13, weāll announce the winner shortly after. Hope youāll participate, and have fun doing so! Donāt let the kaktus sting you. ;)
That's all Iāve had to say for this announcement. If you havenāt played the demo yet - try it, if you have - leave some feedback here on the forums. I intently read and appreciate every single comment, even (or especially) the negative ones! It helps the game evolve, grow and improve and when the game improves - I improve. If you could also click that wishlist button, I cannot stress enough how much it helps with the gameās discoverability. And the more people discover it, the more will try the demo and leave feedback!
Thank you for reading, and have a nice day, friends!
FLIPPIN KAKTUS with the Best Audio award at Indie Cup
GREAT NEWS!
We're so happy to announce that our action-driven, pixel art game has been awarded in the BEST AUDIO category at Indie Cup. We couldn't be more proud of this distinction :)
Check out the winners in all categories here: [previewyoutube="m__5KE3jC1E;full"]
Hello, my cacti with or without black ties and welcome to the first devlog, the Rise of Kaktus!
First Iād like to thank everyone for leaving feedback on the forums, and wishlisting the game. I appreciate hearing from you guys, and the wishlists give me the motivation to keep working because I can see how many people appreciate what I do. But anyway, letās get to the meat of this post.
Letās go back in time...
Iāve always wanted to make a game but I didnāt want to make it just for the sake of it. It needed to be something that comes from the heart, an expression of me as an author with all my quirks and special attention to detail. For example, the original "Flipping Cactus" is a joke image I made for fun. In it, a cactus plant (the stereotypical one with the "arms") has one thorn longer than others, which makes it look like itās, well, flipping somebody off. Then, I got hit by this oxymoron-ish idea about a CACTUS drinking TEQUILA, and for whatever reason, it stuck with me long enough to get implemented into a game. Starting on this project was just a matter of me realizing I have all the resources to make it happen, and so when I did I got to work. There was a lot to learn because I had to do most of the stuff myself. Working on the small pieces and big features, sketching the art, producing the music, learning scripting and storytelling, and finally assembling it all together into its final shape was huge amounts of hard work but seeing the game progress and having that feeling of āitās real, I made thisā kept me going.
But why Kaktus? Itās not much of a story, at the time I was learning German, and "Kaktus" is the German word for "cactus".
The roots of the problem
To say that I had a full picture of how āFlippin Kaktusā is going to look like when I started, would be a huge exaggeration. In the beginning, it was just a bunch of ideas and gimmicks that I thought would make for a cool game, swirling around in my head, some of them half-formed, subconscious. My inspirations though? There were many. Some, like Robocop and Scarface, were more direct, others like Breaking Bad, Half-Life, or For Whom The Bell Tolls (the book, not the song), less so. In retrospect, I can say that the styles of Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, and Matthew Vaughn movies had a lot of influence on the style of the game. Honestly, itās impossible to name all of the inspirations that culminated in Flippin Kaktus, so I should just stop trying.
Trials and tribulations
The biggest challenge for me was keeping a good work-life balance, and reigning myself in whenever I had too many crazy ideas. It would be nice to implement everything that pops into my mind but Iām just one man, already learning too many things at once, so I had to beware of feature creep. I mean, I knew some stuff, like Javascript, which is close to GMS in syntax, and I had sound design/music composition figured out. Other things, like pixel-art, I had to learn from scratch. I still have some early drawings that Iād prefer to keep to myself becauseā¦ wow, not good. I was still kinda proud of the result at the time though, itās like that āI maked theseā meme. Wait, did I mention I have a full-time job outside of the gaming industry? Yeah, that added a bit of challenge, Iād say.
A Pixel Heart
Pixel-art is my weapon of choice. I just love this style, thereās some kind of a nostalgic, heartfelt feeling you get when you look at certain types of graphics. Or maybe thatās just me, who knows. The choice was definitely influenced by my gaming history. If you remember games like Larry, Gobliiins, Dangerous Dave, etc. then youāll know where I got it from. Damnit, Iām listing my inspirations again. ...moving on. Flippin Kaktus would be a very different game if I picked any other style. All parts of the game work together and influence each other, āitās all connectedā, as they say. It also goes without saying that if I picked a different art style, it would take me years to learn it to a degree where I could put my own assets in the game without feeling ashamed.
Well, thatās it, thank you guys for reading. If you have any questions, comments, or nice words, please leave a comment below. If you havenāt already, check out the demo! Iād also appreciate any feedback youāll leave after playing. Anyway, donāt wanna hold you here forever.
