Der Beitrag Bloo Kid is still enjoyable on iOS erschien zuerst auf winterworks.de.

We split up. But don’t despair!

Today we have some important announcement regarding the “future” of winterworks.

We have decided to split up the kids games from the rest of our portfolio, and winterworks kids is the result. It is the new home to all our creations that are tailored with great care to provide fun and frustration free educational entertainment to toddlers and kids.

All other games will remain here at winterworks.de.

At winterworks kids you can find all about our kids games, from past, present and future.

We have also split up our social media channels. 

So please feel free to follow our new winterworks kids channels right here

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or the classic winterworks channels here

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Der Beitrag We split up. But don’t despair! erschien zuerst auf winterworks.de.

Our brand-new puzzle collection Puzzles for Toddlers and Kids is now also available for the Nintendo Switch!

This app is extremely easy to use and was tailored with great care to be played by children of all ages. It is battle-tested and absolutely frustration free.

Chances are that this is the only puzzle-app you will ever need!

100% child-friendly:

• NO ads
• NO social media
• NO outgoing links
• NO subscription
• NO hidden costs

Check out the app on the Nintendo eShop HERE!

Der Beitrag Puzzles for Toddlers and Kids on Switch erschien zuerst auf winterworks.de.

Der Beitrag Animal Puzzle for Toddlers featured erschien zuerst auf winterworks.de.

Time for a new kids-app!

Our brand-new puzzle collection Puzzles for Toddlers and Kids has just been released to the App Store!

This app is extremely easy to use and was tailored with great care to be played by children of all ages. It is battle-tested and absolutely frustration free.

Chances are that this is the only puzzle-app you will ever need!

100% child-friendly:

• NO ads
• NO social media
• NO outgoing links
• NO subscription
• NO hidden costs

Check it out on the iOS App Store HERE! (Android coming soon…)

Der Beitrag Puzzles for Toddlers and Kids released erschien zuerst auf winterworks.de.

After focussing on the impact of Bloo’s eponymous hairdo and after taking a closer look at the influence that some of the Boss enemies have had, we are now going to focus on the architecture and its impact that resonates through the digital pages of retrogaming history.

Most of you will remember the miracles they experienced as a Kidd while playing videogames, and I am no exception. Somehow, when playing a specific first level over and over again, I felt that there was something strange but yet familiar about the leveldesign. like it has already been planted into my mind just to be unleashed decades later, when I designed “Green Hills 1-7”.

More “Blasphemy”

The influence of Bloo’s inspirational architecture is not limited to console games of the past. Even titles from homecomputers of old have pre-taken my ideas and incorporated them into some of the most memorable games of that bygone era.

The now debunked impostor even aimed at a “3D-like” look, in a time when 3D was not even a thing!

Keep on rollin’

Now for some really remarkable afford to “cover tracks“. When the brilliant Odallus – the dark call hit the gaming world in 2015, it was (advisably) praised for its retro charme and was even called “The best Castlevania game in years“. And now, ladies and genltemen, I will need you to pay utmost attention:
So, Odallus, released in 2015, mimics a game from the early NES era (so even older than Bloo Kid 2’s “16 bit look”) that had no cart levels at all in it, and then it copies the “cart ride” levels from Bloo Kid 2, which was released only A YEAR before Odallus, just to pretend it being original… come on!

This clearly seems to me like a zig-zag hop from one point in time to another in order to shake off those Time-Cop like individuals who want to track down the real origin of the cart ride level element. But I can see right through it. See for yourself below…

As you can see, it’s really hard to find a retro game that was NOT pre-inspired by the Bloo Kid series. We have even more surprises coming up, so make sure to stay tuned!

Der Beitrag Bloo Kid(d) Time Travel Mysteries, part 3 erschien zuerst auf winterworks.de.

If you experience a “freeze” during the startup of the game (at the “headup games” logo, to be precise) then just try this simple workaround:

Shutdown your Switch completely, then boot it up again.

This should fix the issue.

We have already fixed the bug for real and are just waiting for the updated version to hit the eShop. Until then, use the workaround.

Der Beitrag Bloo Kid 2 Troubleshooting erschien zuerst auf winterworks.de.

While part one solved the mysteries around Bloo’s blue hair we are now going to take a closer look at some of the boss enemies in the Bloo Kid universe…

Copper Axe

Many of you will remember the axe-wielding Knight Boss from the first Bloo Kid game. Somehow Sega thought that it would be a good idea to prename one of the best beat ’em ups of all times after his particular axe.

You all know what game I’m talking about. The fact that they placed the Golden Axe into the hands of a player character and let Death Adder himself carry a golden axe that is disguised as a copper axe is just another shameless effort to hide the true source of inspiration. And it is one of those mysteries that has riddled me ever since I was a child…

Altered Reality

One year earlier, Sega released a title about a resurrected centurion that could turn into a mighty beast with special powers. Of course we are talking Altered Beast here. This game was the main reason why I wanted to own a Sega Genesis so badly! However, had I known at this time that they blatantly stole my future idea I would have wished for a SNES instead…

Shallow Waters

However, Sega is not the only company that saved time by stealing my ideas. No-one else but Nintendo themselves did “lend” ideas from Bloo Kid. From the boss of the icy wastes, Spikey Mc Spike, to be more specific. That spikey fish first appeared in Super Mario World iirc. Reducing colors and resolution of a sprite does not qualify as “original”, remember that!

The Ancient Tree of No-Ledge

I saved up the biggest bang for the grand finale. This is the one that “the internet” was upset about the most. The angry tree with the funny face is called “Woody“, and he is the first boss that players encounter in Bloo Kid 2.

To my very annoyance, a clone of him called “Whispy Woods” (what an uncreative name for a tree!) has found its way into the Kirby Game Series.

Now I hear what you say… “You did neither invent the tree, nor did you invent the face. So why do you think a tree with a face is a rip-off?”.
Yes, you are right. It might as well be a complete coincidence. Yet I can’t get rid of the fact that the “copy” has that distinctive long nose, very much like Pinocchio, whose nose grows as soon as he is lying… Think about it!

That’s it for now. But rest assured that there are still plenty of dark secrets left to be uncovered in the upcoming posts. Stay tuned!

Der Beitrag Bloo Kid Time Travel Mysteries, part 2 erschien zuerst auf winterworks.de.

Sure, the past has an impact on the present. But with the latest Terminator movie getting devastating reviews, one might start to question “can the present have an impact on the past?”.

The Bloo Kid series has been criticized in the past (there is this word again) for being uninspired and uncreative when it comes to its presentation and gameplay mechanics. People even go as far as accusing Bloo of stealing ideas from older games. They could not be more wrong. It’s the other way round! By strange and obscure ways unknown to man, Bloo Kid has somehow managed to inspire a bunch of games in the past. I will give you the prove here, just as Yacht Club Games has done for Shovel Knight.

Whoever has wondered why “Bloo” is called “Bloo” should wonder no more. Just look at his hair. But how influential has his iconic haircolor become?

Bloo Kid in Monster World ?

I will start with one of my all-time favorite games that goes by the wonderful name “Wonder Boy V: Monster World III” (also known as “Wonder Boy in Monster World” (and also released as “The Dynastic Hero” (and also re-branded as “Monica’s Gang in the Monsters’ Land” in Brazil))).

Notice the striking similarities of Bloo and Shion (the protagonist of Wonder Boy V). This cannot be a coincidence!

Just as a side note: The soundtrack to the original “Wonder Boy V” is absolutely awesome. Do yourself a favor and listen to it here!

More proof

To mess up with the grandfather paradox a bit, I have spotted some more recent games that have been released after the first release of Bloo Kid in 2011. So the present changed the past which then altered the future… Are you still with me?

There exists a fabulous remake of “Wonderboy III: The Dragon’s Trap” called “Wonderboy: The Dragon’s Trap” (D’oh!).

There’s also a brand new and equally wonderful game in the Wonder Boy series called “Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom” (double D’Oh!).

Green Kid?

The Dragon’s Trap draws heavy inspiration from Bloo’s well-known hairstyle. The fact that they changed the haircolor from blue to green is just a cheap effort to hide the original source of inspiration. And when looking at the female protagonist (Yes, there is a Wonder Girl mode!) you can clearly see where that inspiration came from… it’s Bloo’s beloved “Pink Girl“.

$10 Haircut

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom does not even try to deny the fact that its protagonist is just a shameless copycat.

Mix it all together

And just to blow your mind a little bit more: Yes, there is also a game in the series that features a female protagonist with green hair. Now what?

Final Words

Now try to wrap your brain around the final fact that all the “Wonder / Monster Boy” games of old anticipate what is indeed planned as a “Bloo Kid in Monster World” game that will be created sometime in the future.

Bloo Kid in Monster World… a past and future secret? Only time(travel) will tell…

Now it is the beginning of a fantastic story, and I will reveal more shameless rip-offs in the near future. Stay tuned!

Der Beitrag Bloo Kid Time Travel Mysteries erschien zuerst auf winterworks.de.

Hey folks! We now have an official release date!

Bloo Kid 2 for Nintendo Switch will be released November 18th on both the north american and the european eShop, priced at $4,99 / €4,99.

Additionally, preorders will be available from November 11th with a 20% discount, so that’s $3,99 / €3,99!

And don’t forget to signup for the Bloo Kid 3 newsletter!

Der Beitrag Bloo Kid 2 for Nintendo Switch erschien zuerst auf winterworks.de.