''Aurora Feint'' was a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

series developed by Danielle Cassley and Jason Citron for

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

. ''Aurora Feint The Beginning'' was released in the first wave of

App Store An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the co ...

applications in July 2008 and was a free single-player game which combines the geometric shape manipulation of ''

Tetris Attack ''Tetris Attack'', also known as in Japan, is a Puzzle game, puzzle video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A Game Boy version was released a year later. In the game, the p ...

'' with the character-building aspects of a

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

. ''Aurora Feint II: The Beginning'' was released in December 2008 and added graphical and community features. ''Aurora Feint II: The Arena'' was released in November 2008, adding multiplayer features and was billed by the developers as the first

casual Casual or Casuals may refer to: * Casual wear, a loosely defined dress code **Business casual a loosely defined dress code **Smart casual a loosely defined dress code * Casual Company, term used by the United States military to describe a type of ...

asynchronous

massively multiplayer online game A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG or more commonly MMO) is an online video game with a large number of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent world, persistent open world, alt ...

. ''Aurora Feint II: Tower Puzzles'' was released in December 2008 and provided dozens of visual brain teasers based on the "tower" locations in the other titles. All versions of ''Aurora Feint'' have been removed from

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since July 14, 2012.

Gameplay

The game mechanics were based on Nintendo's ''

Panel de Pon ''Tetris Attack'', also known as in Japan, is a puzzle video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A Game Boy version was released a year later. In the game, the player must ar ...

'', and the games in the series shared some similarities including the following components: the Mine, the Store, the Smith, and the Tower. In the Mine, players manipulated blocks into combinations of three or more to collects crystals and resources. In the Store, players spent resources and crystals to acquire blueprints and magicbooks. In the Smith, players completed blueprints by collecting a certain amount of resources within an allotted time, gaining access to new types of weapons. In the Tower, player completed magic books by solving puzzles within an allotted number of moves, gaining improved mining efficiency. ''Aurora Feint II: The Arena'' added a range of additional capabilities including online player v. player dueling, chat capabilities in its "tavern," news feeds, additional character classes, and leaderboards. Characters developed in ''Aurora Feint The Beginning'' could be transferred into ''Aurora Feint II: The Arena''.

Plot

Details of the plot and story are limited but text in the game's opening trailer provides some hints:

"What is it that separates reality from fantasy? For one little girl, the only way to survive our reality is to live in her fantasy."

Development

The developers wrote in a forum post and discussed in an interview that the initial release of ''Aurora Feint The Beginning'' was created over the course of 10 weeks. Soon after its initial release, reports circulated of privacy concerns regarding the game's community features. According to a forum post by the game's developers, on July 22

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

removed the game from the iTunes App Store. The developers responded by explaining that the contact list was not actually stored on their server, asking for user feedback on alternatives, and asking for support on bringing the game back to the App Store. On July 24, the iTunes App Store began carrying version 1.0.0.1 of the game. According to the developers, the new version addressed the privacy concerns.

Reception

''Aurora Feint The Beginning'' was met with acclaim compared to other free games in the App Store. One reviewer described it as "the most fun and addictive of the early iPhone games." ''Aurora Feint II: The Arena'' was praised in a preview release for its "''Lord of the Rings'' aesthetic" and for standing apart from other match-three games.

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Official siteOfficial forum
2008 video games Falling block puzzle games IOS games IOS-only games Video game clones Video games developed in the United States Fantasy video games Multiplayer and single-player video games