About Me

Hi. My name is Mark and I'm a hobbyist iOS developer.
Flabby Santa is my first published game (and I'm hoping it won't be my last).
My gaming life began early - during the heydays of the 80's. When I were a lad, I would look forward to buying Atair cartridges and C64 games on cassettes - usually for a small price of 1.99 or thereabouts. The games would often have rudimentary graphics and basic mechanics, but have a special place in my heart to this day. Games like Chuckie Egg, Dizzy, Elite, Ghosts 'n' Goblins and many more.
I guess I'm at that stage of my life where I wanted to recapture that feeling, so I decided to venture into game development in my spare time. I'm no indie developer - just a hobbyist.. so this is still all a big experiment. I have written this game in my spare time in the evenings and holidays of 2015, to learn more about game development and to prove to myself that I can do it.
I hope you like the game...

Contact Details

Mark Hodgson
mark.hodgson@me.com

iOS Exclusive

SpriteKit

Designed and written exclusively for iOS devices.
Written in Apple's own SpriteKit framework and Swift language, Flabby Santa has been written from the ground up as an exclusive iOS title.

Features

  • - Universal App
  • - No in-app purchases and no adverts (I'm old skool)
  • - Highscores using Game Center
  • - Facebook integration for bragging rights
  • - Dynamic lighting effects
  • - Particle emitters like snow, chimney smoke, fog, fireworks...
  • - Force touch aware (where applicable)

Cost

I have chosen to release this game on the App Store with a nominal cost - less than the cost of a muffin at a coffee shop. The race to the bottom for games pricing online doesn't work for small independant developers, let alone the hobbyist. I personally don't like adverts in my games and I don't want to create games that utilise adverts or nagging screens.
At the same time, I don't particularly like in-app purchases as a mechanism for monetisation. Some of the bigger games out there just create tonnes and tonnes of content with one aim - to get their users to purchase more upgrades and game assets.

Gameplay

24 Levels

The game is spread over 24 levels in the style of an advent calendar.
Help Santa to deliver presents and successfully navigate through

  • - Clouds
  • - Fog
  • - Wind
  • - Snowmen
  • - Trees
  • - Robins

The first 18 levels are increasingly difficult pre-defined levels.
The last 6 levels are a real challenge - random levels that also become increasingly difficult until the final challenge - Day 24. How many presents can you successfully deliver in the big night?

Rudolf

You start the game with one reindeer. As you progress through the game you collect a few more until you can manage a sleigh with three reindeer, including Rudolf with his red nose.

What people are saying

  • What's this? Oh, not that game again!
    Have you not finished it yet?

    My Wife

  • I'm rubbish at games.. but sure - I'll take a look if it'll shut you up.

    Ian J.

  • Stop mucking about with that game.. the dog needs a walk!

    My Wife again

Get In Touch.

By all means please get in touch, either by email or on the book of face.