Indie flash favourite QWOP sprints towards iPhone before Christmas
Run Lola Run
Following close in the footsteps of Canabalt, Robot Unicorn Attack, and Today I Die, indie flash favourite QWOP is getting a paint job and a control tweak, and heading towards the iPhone.
If you haven't tried QWOP yet, then now would be a good time to remedy that. Where most games deal in large, all-encompassing abstractions, putting complete sequences of moves onto a single button, QWOP does the exact opposite: wiring up individual keys to each part of your leg, and then asks you to run 100 metres. It's brutally difficult.
But while some arty farty types might see it as smart gaming commentary, or a biting satire, in reality it's just a really funny physics nightmare, as your rubber limbed athlete does cartwheels and face plants in a futile attempt to reach the finish line.
YouTube is awash with attempts, both successful and hideously failed, to master QWOP.
Running the Big AppleWe spoke to designer Bennett Foddy to find out how the game will make the transition to iPhone.
Where the PC game uses the Q, W, O and P keys (hence the name), the iPhone edition puts the different limb movements on the points of two diamond controllers, one for the left side of your athlete's body and the other for the right.
You can make your character run by moving your thumbs in clockwise circles, and even jump, hop, skip, and walk if you’re skilled enough.
The new control scheme should let you do slightly better than on the Flash version. In fact, a competent player can run the 100 metres in about 40 seconds. “Ok, he's not about to set a world record, but that's a big improvement!” says Foddy.
Christmas with QWOPTo help justify its pocket money price, the iPhone port will feature some new modes: 100m dash, 110m hurdles, long jump, steeplechase, and 50km walk. It also packs in OpenFeint leaderboard support, to challenge your buddies.
QWOP should hit the iPhone before Christmas, “but that depends partly on Apple,” says Foddy, and will be 59p / 99c / €0.79c to celebrate its launch, before heading up to £1.19 / $1.99 / €1.59.
