Firstlight, my god game for iPhone and iPad, is nearly finished. It's with Apple for review now, and before it launches I'd like more people to play it. There are two ways to try it today: a free demo in your browser, and an open beta of the full game on TestFlight.
What is Firstlight?
You begin in an empty dark with a handful of drifting specks, and your only power is your hand. Pick things up, throw them, and smash them together. Thrown gently, two specks of hydrogen make gas. Thrown hard, they make a star. Keep going and you'll make worlds, solar systems and, eventually, life.
Then that life starts looking back. Civilisations raise shields, push your throws aside and shoot them down. They spread to other worlds, go to war with their neighbours, and send probes out to look for you. From there the game is about how you treat the people you made: earning their trust with gifts, tipping the balance of their wars, or staying hidden. There are 26 recipes to discover, six endings and 26 Game Center achievements.
Play the demo
The opening of the game is free to play in your browser, on a phone or a computer, at casualfridays.co.uk. It runs from the first speck to your first living world, which is where the full game really gets going.
Join the beta
The full game is open for testing on TestFlight, Apple's beta app. Open this link on your iPhone or iPad. It will take you through installing TestFlight if you don't have it, then Firstlight. The beta is free, and you'll get any updates I push before launch.
If you join, a few things would help me most:
- First impressions. Is it clear what to do in the first couple of minutes?
- Bugs. Anything that freezes, looks wrong or doesn't save.
- Balance. Do civilisations feel too easy or too hard to deal with once they notice you?
- Endings. Tell me which one you found first.
The easiest way to send feedback is from inside TestFlight. Take a screenshot while playing and choose Share Beta Feedback, or open Firstlight in the TestFlight app and tap Send Beta Feedback.
Launch
When Firstlight launches it will be £1.99, with a launch price of £0.99. There are no ads, no in-app purchases and no account. I'll post here when it's live.
Thanks for playing, and thanks in advance for the feedback. It makes a real difference to a small game like this.