Saturday, August 30, 2008

Bytten Gives the Magic Toy Chest a 90%!

"There aren't many downsides to TMTC"

"Graphics are high quality and quite cartoony"


"This is a welcome brain-stretching exercise for all TIM fans, and ideal for parents looking to stretch their children - no violence, bright and cheerful, encouraging logical thought... and it might inspire them to tidy their rooms, but I can't promise anything in that direction! Now I'm off to try setting up a domino rally... "

Graphics 90%
Sound 88%
Playability 92%
Longevity 90%
Overall Score 90%

- Andrew Williams, Bytten (Read the Full Review)

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Casual Gamer Chick Review

Another reviewer has recommended the Magic Toy Chest. Some highlights from the review:

"The skip feature is a great feature and eliminates the frustration factor. It is a big frustration to have one level stop the player from continuing on with the game"

"The Magic Toychest was a really fun game and had a good balance between challenging puzzles and easier puzzles. The physics in the game are great and the toys and balls roll like you would expect them to when they are hit. Any player that likes physics games and enjoys puzzles, should definitely check out The Magic Toychest. The game has a lot of game play and is worth the $19.95."

- Casual Gamer Chick (read the full review here)

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Level: Blastoff

Blastoff by crazyjohnjohn

Download Level

Magic Toy Chest Version 1.01 Released

The New Demo version has been uploaded.

The full version patch can be downloaded here

Version 1.01 Changes:

  • Fixed Total Game Time glitch where statistic increased too quickly
  • Graphically changed the title screen to make it easier to navigate
  • New Buy Now Screen (for Demo)
  • Fixed a Bug where Testing a Level without saving it caused an inescapable loop
  • Demo game setup no longer leaves start menu folder empty
  • Setup files and download size reduced/compressed

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Radical Rom Review Highlights

"...Graduate Games has come up with something really special here, and I want to take the time to tell you about it so that hopefully some more retro gaming enthusiasts out there will check it out."

"The vibe in The Magic Toy Chest is deceptively cute, and while I'm sure that it would be a great game for the younger set, it also has a whole lot of meat in there for anyone to dig into."

"High score junkies are going to find a well balanced, challenging, and thoroughly engaging experience to dig into, and even those that usually aren't into going for high scores will find themselves saying "just one more try..." and getting addicted to perfection."

"I give it my highest recommendation, and heavily suggest that everyone that reads this at least pick up the free demo. It's obvious that Graduate Games do what they do purely out of their love of videogaming, and their latest lovechild is a wonderful example of what a couple of creative minds can achieve when they're really passionate about what they do."

- Frankie Leet of Radical Rom Reviews

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Other Praise from our Beta Tests

"Might look childish but it's really cool" - Amynue

"Very very fun." - Whef

"Overall strangely fun." - Geel9 from Ohio

"I lol'd at the Power Puffins sign." - Ryu Hinote

Gamecyte Review Highlights

".... the game is accessible, intuitive, and unimposing, presenting a colorful world full of amusing toys and an extremely basic premise and goal."

"Parents needn’t worry about their kids running this game, nor playing it — nothing even remotely objectionable can be found in The Magic Toy Chest, whose sole plot point is “The house is a mess. Clean it up.”"

"The new ingredients it does add to the formula, though, are all clever enough to interest experienced puzzle gamers."

"The Magic Toy Chest is a fun game, it’s true. It’s quick to learn and has a good amount of variety to its puzzles, and its cheerful motif will put a little smile on your face. Parents looking to amuse their young gamer progeny would do well to consider this title."

- Jesse Henning of GameCyte (Read the Whole Review)

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Installation

Step 1: Download the Demo or Full Version of the Game
Step 2: Double-Click or Run the Setup File (pictured above)
Step 3: Follow the instructions, agree to the license agreement and input your registration key (for full version only).
Step 4: When setup is completed you can read the online manual or launch the game.
Step 5: Launch the game from the setup program or start menu
Step 6: Enjoy!

The Magic Toy Chest is HERE!

The Magic Toy Chest is available for PURCHASE and DEMO DOWNLOAD NOW!

Check it out and support us and our passion for gaming.

Monday, August 11, 2008

The Magic Toy Chest is coming August 12th!

That's right, look for the Magic Toy Chest to be released August 12th and get ready for some crazy puzzle action inspired by games like "The Incredible Machine". The game will release for just under $20. If you want a reminder, tips & tricks, along with other updates about our upcoming games, please take a moment to sign-up for our newsletter.


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Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Pausing/Unpausing Game Physics



The video above demonstrates the superfluous technique of pausing the game's physics engine. You can pause/unpause physics by hitting spacebar, clicking the play/pause icon in the bottom right, or by clicking the center mouse button (mousewheel). This function is only required to solve 5 of the final puzzles in the game and can make some puzzles easier. It is primarily included because some people prefer to set everything up and then play it out; plus it is a pretty fun function to experiment with.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Actions



Your actions are tallied as you play a puzzle. You want to try to solve each puzzle in as few actions as possible.

What counts as an action?
- Placing a Toy
- Picking up a Toy
- Activating Toy Abilities

In the example video above, there are 3 actions: placing the dart gun, firing a dart, and launching the rocket.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Puzzle Solving & Physics.

In order to solve the puzzles in Red Faction you will have to take into account 2 thing:

- Toy Physics
- Toy Abilities

As you play through the Magic Toy Chest, you will learn more about each toy, it's abilities, weight, and shape. Each level can be solved by correctly building paths, using toys' abilities, or using physics to manipulate toys and objects. Take a look at the video below to get an idea of a puzzle solution.



The goal in the video is to get the alphabet blocks into the toy chest. Obviously, a Bowling Ball has a lot of weight to it and will roll. By rolling the bowling ball into the blocks, the blocks tumble into the chest, completing your goal.

The final tip I can give you about puzzle solving is to take note of the level description and hint. The Level Hints will usually help get you in the right direction and will highlight the toy that the solution usually revolves around. Make sure to play through all the Tutorial Levels too, since the later levels highlight each toy and how it works.