We don’t have enough ready for a trailer (there’s not even any sound effects yet), but we did put together this peek at one of the game’s gauntlets.

Probably the most important decision we make when designing a Tilt to Live game is: What will the custom tilt position button look like?

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These are concepts for a new enemy type called a Switchblade. He was either going to end up like a robotic hammerhead shark, or a wider version of Tilt to Live 2‘s Skewer knives, (which will also make an appearance in this game).

In Gauntlet’s Revenge, we’re evolving the dots into a whole new race called the Dot Bots. They’ll still fire themselves at you as bullets, but so far we have no plans of loosing individual dots at you. Obviously, the story and airtight internal logic is what everyone plays Tilt to Live for. This should hopefully make our enemies about 1,000x more interesting to draw.

Click to enlarge.

These are sketches for our first gauntlet, Lockdown. The plan is to have a few different gauntlets to choose from, each with their own enemies and traps. You might recognize the “three circle” symbol on the gears as a callback to the original Gauntlet’s gametype select symbol, and the gear motif is something we also used for Tilt to Live 1’s Gauntlet background. Tilt to Live 2 saw the dots get some robotic technology in the form of bosses and enemies, so this game pushes that a bit further.

Gauntlet mode first appeared in the original Tilt to Live. Rather than hopping from weapon to weapon, it was about navigating a parade of deadly traps with precision and good timing. It was a fun mode, but there were a few things we wish we’d done better. The difficulty was fairly flat, and the enemy formations lacked variety. We retooled it for Tilt to Live HD as a single screen bullet hell mode, but we always wanted another crack at that “precision endless runner”, “tilt platformer” feel.

When it came time to think up a second DLC for Tilt to Live 2, getting a chance to finally do Gauntlet justice was high on our list. Once a few enemies and track pieces were in the prototype, all sorts of interesting ideas came up. What if you could reach some kind of bonus room if you survived long enough? I have a lot of leftover obstacle ideas; what if we did a few different Gauntlets?

Rather than cutting our ideas down to make DLC for Tilt to Live 2, we’re running with them in our first Tilt to Live spin-off: Gauntlet’s Revenge. Development is already underway for iOS and Android, and we expect to be ready for release later this year. You can keep up with our progress on this blog, or sign up for an email reminder when the game is released.

We sat down for a long discussion about Tilt to Live 2‘s 2nd DLC recently. The prototype is fun, and there’s so much more we could do with it if it wasn’t just a gametype within Tilt to Live 2. So why not flesh it out a bit? DLC 2 has enough going for it that it could be our fourth game: a spin-off that’s unlike any Tilt to Live game we’ve made. We’ve got to nail down a few details before we’re ready to formally announce the project, but good stuff is coming.

In case you haven’t heard, you can sign up for an email reminder when the game hits the App Store!

I remember the crushing disappointment when I learned that Tilt to Live’s cooperative mode only worked with blue tooth connections. I have only ever had white teeth.

But lo! Through the magic of Game Center, Viva la Coop now features online matchmaking in new updates for both Tilt to Live iPhone and Tilt to Live HD! Just don’t try to play HD with your iPhone buddy; they’re different games. You can match to random strangers, or invite a Game Center buddy to help out. Bullet points!

• Viva la Coop can now be played online via Game Center!
• Big fat iPhone 5 display support! See parts of the background you have only dreamed about.
• No mic support, so your friends won’t hear you yelling at them.
• Replaced a few images that have been blurry for like 2 years.

Alex is jumping between Tilt to Live’s iPhone 5 support, an update to ¡Viva la Coop!, and Outwitters’ Seasons support (which has already been submitted). His goal is to get all of this done before the App Store holiday deadline. What’s all that got to do with me? Not a whole lot. I’m exploring new styles and experimenting with new techniques. It’s been a lovely week.

Tilt to Live went free this past week, and may still be free in an App Store near you. We were featured under Impossible Games and decided to get experimental with the price.

I’ll start this off by plugging our Labor Day sale for Tilt to Live. Now through Labor Day you can get Tilt to Live iPhone for just 99¢, or Tilt to Live HD‘s Full Version for $1.99! That’s what we in the business call a bargain. Tell your friends, please?

Meanwhile, in Outwitters…

The patch update has, at long last, been submitted to Apple. Shouldn’t bee more than a week before it reaches your device. More importantly, Alex will finally be moved in to his new house around the middle of next week. That means I’ll have a partner again, and we can accomplish tasks. As those of you that follow this blog may know, a completed patch update means we get to shift attention to a new team and new maps. We’ll be telling you more about that as it comes together.