Some studios just want to stick to making games for the Indian audience, and that is not bad, plus a company which has successfully created an audience for itself riding on its Indian casino games, a move to make a cricket game for a cricket crazy nation was the right foot forward.
Moonfrog Labs – the Bangalore based game developer, since the launch of its game Teen Patti Gold, have been in the top grossing charts in India and co-founder Oliver Jones is gushing about their new game Smash Cricket across public forums.
“We all know India is a massively diverse country full of people of vastly different tastes. At Moonfrog, it’s always been our mission to give ridiculously fun mobile games to every person with a smartphone in India. Teen Patti Gold and Smash Cricket are just a taste of our launch lineup.”
There are more than 50 games based on Cricket on Google Play Store, but how does one manage to get the attention and be different from other games. Oliver says, “We thought that we could bring something completely new to online cricket. We want to provide an experience that would totally blow fans away. People have been clamoring for a heads up cricket game, here it is!”
Cricket as a game has evolved over the years and with the introduction of fast and exciting sport, it has just changed the dynamics of how the audience views it not just as a ‘religion’ but as a form of entertainment. “Cricket as a sport has evolved over decades to become faster, bigger and bombastic. We wanted to bottle the ambience and excitement seen on TV and unleash it on your screen. As a result, Smash Cricket is a high-tension one on one online battle that last 3 overs at a time.”
The game has realtime gameplay, where one can login to their Facebook accounts and battle against fellow gamers in a three overs challenge, the ones who want to champion the game and earn some extra cash; Career play gives you the opportunity to build your cavalry and prepare for your online battle. Different options like World Cups, Challenges, Limit Overs, Chase Down and Friendly also beckon your attention to open up further levels for you to conquer.
“Just like in the game of Cricket there is a lot of strategy in high-level play. As you progress you will have to train your team and adjust your lineup to win. World cup matches get very challenging with different bowler types and teams to face. I dare anyone to beat the entire career mode right now, it’s hard as nails! We also have tonnes of modes to unlock. If you are up for slogging it out in an endurance game try our 15 over match it’s probably the most challenging mode we have ever made.”
Speaking about how the players are matched online, Oliver explains, “Online games are hugely complex to get right. Everything from technology through to design is a challenge. Our most difficult task was to make sure every game was fair. Right now Trophies are the best way to see how skillful your opponent is and as the game grows we will make sure our players get the best matchup possible.”
Having launched the game a week back the studio has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from developers within the Indian games industry and other players who just can’t get enough of smashing the leather of the ball, mentions Oliver.
The studio is also working on adding some really unique updates that will keep the game fresh and exciting. “Expect new Modes, Teams, Strategies and challenges,” signs off Oliver.
Even though the game has managed to garner attention on all fronts, a few glitches still need to be ironed out. There are instances of Facebook login errors, matches getting disconnected which has led to a few grievances on the app page, along with many suggestions to improve the gameplay experience as well as continue to come up better updates in future. The player packs too cost a bomb and you have to sweat it out with lower rung players until you manage your funds and player cards.
This game has certainly brought in a breath of fresh air in the Cricket genre on an overly cluttered app store. And the studio is confident of continuing to keep exploring other popular genres in the near future, while continuing to bring the best gaming experience to players ‘glocally’ and cutting across all barriers.