Stem Stumper: Eyes Are Optional
Of the many games I saw and played at PAX EAST 2011, this was one of the few that stood out to me. I can’t speak for all gamers, but after playing so many video games since the days of ColecoVision, games that break the mundane are always welcomed. And this game is definitely different from anything I ever played. This is a puzzle game that you don’t need your eyes for. I met Kwasi Mensah at PAX EAST 2011, the head of Ananse Productions who introduced me to his game Stem Stumper, which is a blind-accessible iPhone game.
It has:
Fully integrated with VoiceOver
10 Beautifully drawn gardens all with their own dynamic soundtrack
100 Puzzles
Sound only “sonar” mode
I’m a big fan of puzzle games and enjoyed the challenges it brought me. Check out the trailer below to have a better understanding of what the game is.
Below is the press release for Stem Stumper:
“Introducing Stem Stumper, a blind-accessible puzzle game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. A dynamic layered soundtrack to guides Mimea the vine through a 100 brain-teasing levels. Use sling shots, sprinklers and Angry Acorns to open paths for her to grow. Use the right combination to rack up points and prove once and for all you’re smarter than a 6th grader.
The inaugural game of Ananse Productions, Stem Stumper is built from the ground up to be enjoyed by both the iPhone’s burgeoning blind community and fully sighted players around the world. Stem Stumper is fully integrated with VoiceOver, Apple’s builtin screen reader for iOS devices. And if you think you can solve our puzzles with a blindfold on, we’re including a sound only “sonar” mode. Stem Stumper plans to hit the App Store Spring 2011.
While this might be Ananse Productions first project, members of Ananse’s team have already worked on several successful projects. Kwasi Mensah, lead developer and programmer has worked on games as varied as Green Day: Rock Band, Borderlands and Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station. Jennifer Kanis, our lead artist, has worked on tihe iPhone games in the Curious George franchise for FableVision. Dawn-Marie Dunn, our Audio guru, has been involved in gaming for more than ten years and music for more than twenty composing original audio for Flash projects and sound effects for websites.”
