Any new game announcement from Firemint is always anticipated, given the high standard of quality titles from the Melbourne games studio and for the fact that they've only released two titles for the iOS devices so far since the launch of their original 2009 hit title, Flight Control. Firemint certainly haven't been sitting on their laurels, however, as they've been preoccupied since with the big productions and highly acclaimed titles of Real Racing and Real Racing 2, as well as the many platform ports and updates of Flight Control.
Firemint CEO, Rob Murray, disclosed late last year that the studio was always prototyping new ideas but discarded many because they did not reach a certain level of innovation or freshness that the studio has come to expect. He explained that Firemint would be ready to announce any new game "when we have gotten it to the stage where it is close to finished and we are really loving it".
It seems that time has come as Firemint have been busy showcasing a preview of their new casual iOS title at the Game Developers Conference this week. The new game, titled Agent Squeek, has you you playing a mouse that has to collect cheese that has been strategically placed in the level. Once retrieved, you'll need to find an escape route to a mouse hole. You'll be doing this by drawing your path in the familiar way to directing your plane in Flight Control.
As to be expected, there are enemies to avoid, powerups to collect, and many achievements to be had. From the many previews that Agent Squeek has had, it's expected to include increasingly challenging levels, huge boss battles, and the final product will be of a level of polish you'd expect from Firemint.
From the hands-on preview by Slidetoplay.com...
The developers promise many hours of content, with tons of levels set in a variety of environments, plus a lot of replayability. Like in Angry Birds (and many other casual games), when you complete each level, you're awarded up to three stars for your performance.
No exact release date has been given so far for the release date for Agent Squeek nor has any screenshots or footage been released so far, but we should be seeing it sometime in 2011.