We captured our very first GameJam on film and want to share that experience with you. Twelve amazing indie teams competed at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York working with the theme, “Evolution.” All teams who participated in the event produced remarkable games and it was tough to pick the four semi-finalists. This video gives you a deeper look into the event and everything PlayStation Mobile. And for those of you who are interested to know more about the finalist’s games, we have all the details below.

GameJam Winner:

Hermit Crab in Space

Developed by: Golden Ruby Games

Hermit Crab in Space pits one lost crab against a hostile galaxy, forcing the player to fight their way home in an ever changing, improvised ship scavenged from the refuse around them. Using the salvaged parts of his enemies’ spacecrafts, the player slowly builds his ship for protection. Reinforce your ship with shields, cannons, power tiles, ramming tiles, and more–and discover new powers and strategies by combining them in different ways. You’ll have to think on your feet, though: any part of your own ship can be blown off too, leaving you to pilot a fraction of your once mighty ship until you can rebuild your ship like a space phoenix rising from the ashes. Hermit Crab in Space brings together the dogfights of Star Fox with the creativity, construction and infinite possibility of Minecraft.

GameJam Semi-Finalists:

Crystallon

Developed by: Team Dozen Eyes

Crystallon is a touch-controlled match-3 game where players are challenged to create isometric cubes out of floating pieces. Pieces have different qualities: Color, pattern, animation, and sound. In order to successfully create a group, the three pieces must be all the same or all different for each quality. Pieces also have a fixed orientation: Left, Right and Top. You can only use one of each orientation per matched set. When pieces are successfully combined, they create cubes. Cubes may also be combined together into sets of three for extra points. You can advance to the next level only when there are no remaining possible sets in the current level.

Crumble

Developed by: Team Snakesss

Crumble is a highly conceptual puzzle adventure inspired by classic arcade games like Helicopter and Doodle Jump. Players guide an avatar, a block-like cell, which changes shape as it brushes against walls and obstacles. In one gameplay mode, the end goal is to match the block’s shape to a receiving pad at the end, which requires simultaneous attention to moving through the level and awareness of shape. In a second gameplay mode, users navigate through adventure levels, using the block’s falling rubble to grow shooting flowers in order to break through walls and hopefully, beat the level. If the player’s core touches an obstacle, the player loses control of their core for a few seconds, and the game restarts from the title screen.

Don’t Wake the Bear

Developed by: Back Pedal Games

Don’t Wake the Bear is a multiplayer game reminiscent of “hot potato” that only requires one PlayStation Vita to play. Be the last camper standing by strategically teasing or soothing a sleeping bear, but whatever you do… Don’t Wake the Bear! Players take turns adding items to the cave they are trapped in, some of which soothe the bear, like the tranquilizer dart, while others agitate him, like a death metal station on the radio. One wrong move, the bear can wake up, and that player will be eliminated. Players must also handle the PS Vita carefully during a pass as both players are vulnerable to attack.

In addition to the GameJam semi-finalists that were featured at the Indie Arcade event, we also showed several other fun and addictive PSM games that have released on the platform recently and that will be coming out in tin the next few months. If you own a PS Vita or a PlayStation-certified device I highly encourage you to check out PlayStation Mobile. Here’s a list of the games that we had at our event:

Lemmings

Release Date: December 4, 2012
Developer: d3t Ltd.
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

First released by Psygnosis in 1991, this popular puzzle game is now retrofitted for the PS Mobile platform. After several sequels, remakes and spin-offs of Lemmings, the wacky, adorable rodents are back and they are as puzzled and confused as ever. Players help guide as many of the lovable creatures to safety as possible by guiding them to build, bash, block, float and explode their way through a multitude of puzzling levels. In order to win, players must determine which lemmings to assign eight different skills to, which can help alter the landscape, affect other lemmings’ behavior or clear obstacles in order to create a safe passageway.

Haunt the House Terrortown

Release Date: January 8, 2013
Developer: SFB Games
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

In Haunt the House Terrortown, players float around as a ghost, who hides in an abandoned clock tower by day and haunts the town by night. Possess any and all objects seen and use these objects to frighten any unsuspecting humans nearby. In this side scrolling action puzzle game, the aim is to scare every townsman and townswoman out of town and reclaim what has been lost before sunrise returns.

Life of Pixel

Release Date: January 8, 2013
Developer: Super Icon Ltd.
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

Life of Pixel is an old-fashioned platform game with plenty of modern twists and puzzle elements. Players jump in the role of a little green pixel named Pixel who is tired of being part of the crowd. With luck on his side, a videogame museum is just next door, so under the cover of darkness, Pixel sneaks in to take a look. It is at this time where the magic begins and the world of gaming comes alive.

Dedicated to the brilliance of classic gaming machines, Life of Pixel was designed using the exact palette limitations and pixel resolution of the Commodore 64. The game is comprised of 64 levels spread over eight different game machines— Atari 2600, ZX81, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, BBC Model B, Nintendo Gameboy and NES. Each machine features eight levels where players must collect a specific amount of gems to open the EXIT door. The aim is to complete each level in the fastest possible time. Make use of moving and destructible platforms, double jumps, and gravity inversion to escape the many enemies attempting to thwart you.

Gun Commando

Release Date: January 22, 2013
Developer: Ripstone Ltd.
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

Gun Commando is a distinctly classic first person shooter that combines 8-bit graphics with visceral game-play. Players jump into the role of Jack Bennett, a weapon-loving bounty hunter of sorts, who must save the world from alien invaders. Reminiscent of old school classics like Wolfenstein and Duke Nukem, Gun Commando features a unique weaponry upgrade system that rewards skill and accuracy. And you’ll need the big guns to take down the ruthless aliens!

Chimpact

Release Date: February 12, 2013
Developer: Yippie! Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

In Chimpact, players help a little monkey bounce around and collect items like bananas and diamonds through a variety of levels (48 in all) to make it home safely. Each level is made up of smaller segments that intertwine with each other making for an interactive and addictive game. Chimpact is a simple, yet challenging new age platforming game reminiscent of similar games from the 16-bit era.

Switch Galaxy

Release Date: March 5, 2013
Developer: Atomicom
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

Switch Galaxy is a futuristic survival racing game based off its parent game, Switch. The game features a level structure, lots of pick-ups, power-ups, new enemies and upgraded graphics and has two modes: original Switch Survival Mode where players have one life to get as far as they can and Mission Mode where players travel from one side of the Galaxy to the other in the fastest time possible. In Mission Mode, players are called on to find Tantallum, a metal that can only be collected at very high speeds. Players must deliver this to Dakur Technology’s secret research base, where they will earn a jump drive to win gold trophies with.

Forevolution

Release Date: March 12, 2013
Developer: Pygmy Studio Co., Ltd.
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

Forevolution is a classic real-time strategy game inspired by the natural cycle of life. The player is the ruler of their own world with the power to influence everything— animals, plants and the natural elements all living things need to thrive. After an inspirational trip to Laos, the game’s creator developed Forevolution where others take control in creating the right balance in a complex eco-system.

Rymdkapsel

Release Date: April 2013
Developer: Webfarbror
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

In Rymdkapsel, players take command of a space station and its minions. Carefully plan your expansion and manage your resources to explore the galaxy.

Ten by Eight

Release Date: April 2013
Developer: Action Button Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

In Ten By Eight, players match groups of tiles by chaining up multiple groups with wildcard stars and attempt to find the longest paths possible. This is a puzzle game strong enough for a brain surgeon, yet PH-balanced for a rocket scientist.

Magic Planet Snack Deluxe

Release Date: April 2013
Developer: Wolfgame
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

In Magic Planet Snack Deluxe, Players take on the role of a wizard who has cast an unfortunate spell upon himself, turning into a giant space worm. Travel through the cosmos to devour wizards in other worlds for points and gather orbs to power up your hyper gauge. Be sure to avoid things like trolls, lava and satellites and look to make some key allies along the way!

Sully: A Very Serious RPG

Release Date: Summer 2013
Developer: BreadBrothers Games
Platforms: PlayStation Mobile

Sully: A Very Serious RPG is a JRPG-style game made by some plucky Americans trying to bring back the “lighthearted romp” to an increasingly serious genre. Join Crystal and Darin as they deal with their last summer together before going to different colleges, and the adventures they have trying to make sense of growing up in a JRPG world.

PS Vita owners will be able to download these games from the PS Mobile section of PlayStation Store; owners of PlayStation-certified devices (see full list here) can obtain it through the PlayStation Mobile Store – click here for full instructions.

Forevolution is a real-time strategy game from Pygmy Studios in Osaka, Japan. In Forevolution, you are the ruler of your own world with the power to influence animals, plants — even the elements themselves! You will truly feel empowered while controlling and creating life from this unique perspective.

During a trip to Laos, the creator of this game gained the following, simple insight: “Cows eat the weeds on the ground. Cows [fertilize] the land to grow crops. Humans eat cows. Humans die and return to the land.”

This life cycle is the inspiration behind Forevolution, available today on the PlayStation Mobile marketplace. At $5.49, this uniquely styled, addictive RTS is a must have for PS Mobile fans.

If you’ve never downloaded a game from the Mobile store, now’s the time to check it out. PS Vita owners can download Forevolution on the PlayStation Mobile section of PlayStation Store. Owners of PlayStation-certified devices (see full list here) can obtain it through the PlayStation Mobile Store – click here for full instructions.

Although I have been developing games for a lot of years, our PS Mobile-exclusive title Life of Pixel was the first time I have had the opportunity to do a big update to one of the games I have worked on after release.

It has been fantastic to get the opportunity to revisit the game to fix a few issues that were present in the initial release, and to listen to feedback from those who downloaded Pixel v1. Twitter has been invaluable to keep in touch with those players and discuss issues and ideas for the update. In fact, I had such a great time working on the update I ended up adding in a lot more stuff than I originally planned!

Life of Pixel is an old-fashioned platform game with plenty of modern twists and puzzle elements. The star of the game is Pixel, a little green pixel who is tired of being part of the crowd. Luckily, he happens to live right next door to a videogame museum, so under the cover of darkness he sneaks in to take a look…

Players were not happy with the audio experience in the original game, so we now have a unique music track for each machine — plus brand new sound FX, created either with that hardware or via emulation. This has really helped to enhance the identity of each machine (eight in total, for 64 levels in the game) and we have plenty of catchy tunes now guaranteed to stick in your head.

We had a few errors with color palettes in the first release – for example we were using a couple of extra greys in the Amstrad CPC levels, which while giving some nice metal bits were completely wrong! For this update, I made sure every machine was only using accurate color palettes, and while I was at it I redid some of the tiles and backgrounds that I wasn’t completely satisfied with the first time around.

Life of Pixel can be hard – particularly the later levels – and we didn’t want to change this. But it could also be unfair at times – a prime example being ‘Leap of Faith’ jumps which ended with you landing on top of a beastie and dying. You had no idea where said beastie was, so these leaps relied on luck rather than skill.

I went through every level, playing them over and over and tweaking the layout as needed. I am confident I have eliminated every unfair ‘luck’ based potential death. So while I didn’t try to make the levels particularly easier – they are now a fair test of skill, not chance.

We also managed to fix a few bugs and slowdown issues that were present in Pixel v1. Performance is now nice and solid, and we fixed a few other niggles. Oh – and we added a Restart level button!

I really enjoyed this bit – we added a new machine into the game; the Sega Master System. It’s unlocked after you collect all 64 special gems.

I had great fun creating the graphics for the Master System levels – I didn’t realise until I started that the SMS allowed a fair few more colors in sprites and tiles than the NES. Look out for nods to classic Master System titles like Shinobi, Wonder Boy, Sonic, Penguin Land, Bubble Bobble and more.

All in all, it’s a big update with plenty to offer existing and new players. As a developer/publisher it was a fantastic experience and a great opportunity that PSM allowed us to re-visit and improve our game. We are really pleased with the update and hope you will enjoy it.

Need more information on PlayStation Mobile? Want to know more about supported tablets and phones? Head here.

It seems people can’t get enough of the undead. Laughing Jackal’s OMG Zombies — the last of our six free PS Mobile games — casts you as the sole survivor of a police team that has been attacked by (you guessed it) zombies. Your mission: tear through hordes of zombies across a maze of levels, and escape the city.

Your progress in this game depends on the amount of chained combos you get from killing zombies. This game is an upgraded version of the OMG-Z game that was released by Laughing Jackal as a PS mini back in 2011.

There are weapon upgrades, branching levels, rewards, and various zombie types to encounter. This game is the easiest — and safest — way to take out zombies.

PS Vita owners will be able to download OMG Zombies for free on the PlayStation Mobile section of PlayStation Store. Owners of PlayStation-certified devices (see full list here) can obtain it through the PlayStation Mobile Store – click here for full instructions.

We hope you enjoyed our six weeks of free PlayStation Mobile games. Keep checking PlayStation.Blog for news of upcoming games, and interviews with their developers.

Need more information on PlayStation Mobile? Want to know more about supported tablets and phones? Head here.

Years ago, making music required you to have a band, actual instruments, and use of your parent’s garage or basement. Now, all you need is a PlayStation Certified device and Beats Trellis. With this app, you can create your own beats on the go, fitted with drum kits, funky sounds, breaking beats, and other instruments. Beats Trellis is perfect for the person that wants to try making their own beats for fun, or add beats that they have created to a video montage for show online.

Find out for yourself starting today – and at no cost! PS Vita owners will be able to download Beats Trellis for free on the PS Mobile section of PlayStation Store; Owners of PlayStation-certified devices (full list here) can obtain it through PlayStation Mobile Store – click here for full instructions. Check back next Wednesday to see which free game you’ll get next!

Need more information on PlayStation Mobile? Want to know more about supported tablets and phones? Head here.

Monkeys are fun. They jump around, swing on vines, love high places, and occasionally fling poo at people that they don’t like. Today we are pleased to announced that you can have just as much fun as monkeys do (minus the poo) with the release of Yippie! Entertainment’s Chimpact on PlayStation Mobile.

In Chimpact, you play as a little monkey who has to bounce around and collect items through a variety of levels to make it home safely. The game is absolutely gorgeous and the gameplay is simple, yet challenging. Chimpact is a new age platformer that has gameplay reminiscent of similar games from the 16-bit era.

The game features:

• Simple, one-touch gameplay
• Amazing visuals and character design
• 48 fun-filled levels to complete
• Invigorating jungle-themed background music
• Gem Quest and Totem Trial game modes
• Hidden items and achievements to unlock

Kevin Green, the Lead Artist for Chimpact, had this to say about the game in an interview with Pocket Gamer:

PS Vita owners will be able to download Chimpact from the PS Mobile section of PlayStation Store; owners of PlayStation-certified devices (see full list here) can obtain it through the PlayStation Mobile Store – click here for full instructions.

Normally, you wouldn’t expect cats, milk, action and water to go together. But in the case of PlayStation Mobile‘s fourth free game give away, it does. Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender is available for free this week. This action-oriented, side-scrolling shooter puts you in charge of a team of cats whose mission is to search the depths of the oceans for massive reserves of tasty milk buried underground. This game is a side-scroller’s dream and reminds gamers of the intense action, cool music, and colorful graphics of the 16-bit gaming era.

The founder of Tikipod, Dugan Jackson, had this to say about what influenced him in designing Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender for PlayStation Mobile.

Find out for yourself starting today – at no cost! PS Vita owners will be able to download Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender for free on the PS Mobile section of PlayStation Store. Owners of PlayStation-certified devices can obtain it through PlayStation Mobile Store – click here for full instructions. Check back next Wednesday to see what new free game you’ll get to download next!

Last week saw the launch of a PlayStation Mobile promotion that will offer six free games over six weeks, starting with Samurai Beatdown. This week, the free PlayStation Mobile game is Beats Slider. Master the puzzle gameplay by sliding different note blocks into sequences to create catchy electro tunes and compete for the best times online!

Recently, we invited FuturLab’s Managing Director James Marsden to explain the ins and outs of the game on PlayStation.Blog. Here’s what separates Beats Slider from its contemporaries:

Find out for yourself starting today – and at no cost! PS Vita owners will be able to download Beats Slider for free on the PS Mobile section of PlayStation Store; Owners of PlayStation-certified devices (see the full list here) can obtain it through PlayStation Mobile Store – click here for full instructions. Check back next Wednesday to learn what new free game you’ll download next!

Need more information on PlayStation Mobile? Want to know more about supported tablets and phones? Head here.

We’re still in a giving mood long after the holidays have come and gone. To prove it, we’re giving away six PlayStation Mobile games. Each week for the next six weeks, you’ll be able to pick up one PlayStation Mobile title for free – that’s a new free title each week.

To kick off this party we needed to find a title with a lot of punch, and we couldn’t think of anything more appropriate than Samurai Beatdown. This fast-paced, side-scrolling slash-em-up pits your samurai rhythm skills against waves and waves of evil demons.

Download the game for free from the PlayStation Mobile Store on your PS Vita or PlayStation Certified Device. It’s free now, so be sure to jump in and pick up your copy today. Then check the Store Update post each Tuesday between now and February 19th to see which new PlayStation Mobile game will be free that week! One new game will be listed as free each Wednesday.

If you’ve never downloaded a game from the Mobile store, now’s the time to check it out. PS Vita owners can simply head to the PlayStation Mobile Section of the PlayStation Store. People with Sony Smartphones or Tablets, or folks with HTC Android devices that are PlayStation Certified just need to download and install the PlayStation Mobile Android App. From there, you’ll have access to all of the PlayStation Mobile games!

Be sure to check next Tuesday’s Store Update post to see which game will be free on PlayStation Mobile next Wednesday. In the meantime, download Samurai Beatdown, then comment here, or head to the forums and let us know what you think.

Need more information on PlayStation Mobile? Want to know more about supported tablets and phones? Head here.

Hey everyone! SFB Games is comprised of two brothers, Adam and Tom Vian from London. We’ve been making games for many years (mostly for browsers, under the name “The Super Flash Bros.”) and this is our first opportunity to make a game that can be enjoyed on a real handheld console.

When we heard about PlayStation Mobile and thought about PS Vita as a platform, there was only one game we had in mind. The colourful graphics and simple controls of Haunt the House work perfectly in this context — it’s a really natural fit. The original Haunt the House was a browser game we made for Halloween back in 2010, and since then we’ve come a long way as designers.

The basic idea of Haunt the House: you float around as a ghost, possessing any objects you see and use them to perform spooky haunting actions to any humans who are nearby! The aim of the game is to scare every single human away from the town, but this game also has an extra objective…

The first thing we wanted to design was the town itself, exploring all the best tropes of spooky horror locations. Eventually we settled on a theatre, a hospital, a museum, cruise ship and a clock tower. Then we asked talented artist Catherine Unger to design the backgrounds for the game. She produced detailed digital paintings of each building and developed an amazing colour palette that gives the game a really unique atmosphere. In the end, we produced vector versions of Catherine’s backgrounds for the final game.

This was Tom’s first project using C#, and he was surprised by how quick and easy it was to switch over from Flash development. He also enjoyed writing a custom tool for exporting Flash animation for PlayStation Mobile, so we didn’t even have to use any new animation tools.

Meanwhile Adam began designing ghosts, people, menus, and hundreds of “possessable” objects to go into the buildings. It was fun thinking up the most interesting objects to go in each room — from chandeliers, telescopes and statues, to tubas, X-ray machines and roulette tables! We aimed for as much variety as possible.

We hired the incredibly talented composer Raphael Benjamin Meyer to produce an original soundtrack to the game. The music is made even more special by the presence of real instruments being played by real musicians. Next we asked Kimlinh Tran to act as voice director since we needed a range of voices for both the ghosts and the human characters. She did a great job and we have a wonderful range of vocal talent on board. Thanks to everyone who helped us out!

The final game is something we’re all incredibly proud of. It’s simple to learn, but offers endless possibilities to play around and discover new things and new situations. We don’t think we’ll ever get bored of it.

The game will be available to download today through the PlayStation Mobile service.

Need more information on PlayStation Mobile? Want to know more about supported tablets and phones? Head here.