MEDIA ALERT

Who: Ken Wong

What:  Save really cute cats from exploding. By kicking them. Hackycat is out now for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Where: Adelaide, Australia

When:  Thursday, 14 ^th of February 2013

Details: Ken Wong, Art Director of Alice: Madness Returns, today announced that his debut solo project - Hackycat - is available now on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

A score-attack arcade game, Hackycat tasks the player with juggling a never-ending stream of cute felines. Players simply tap the cats to keep them in the air but if a single cat hits the floor, it’s game over.

The game includes a cast of adorable hackycats to adopt including Hipstacat, Scurvy Pete, Taco Cat and many, many more. 

With artist-illustrator Wong also taking on game design and programming duties, Hackycat was intended to be a learning project. It became instead a year-long quest to create the finest-ever cat kicking simulator, combining Wong’s love of Street Fighter and Breakout with a lo-fi aesthetic inspired by the films of Wes Anderson and Jared Hess. 

Hackycat is available now on the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or from this link::  https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/id570127207?mt=8. It costs US $0.99 / £0.69 / €0.89 / $0.99 AU.

Highlights: 

• First solo game from Ken Wong, Art Director of Alice: Madness Returns
• Frantic score-attack gameplay
• Kick, knee and head-butt hackycats to keep them in the air
• Adopt all the hackycats!

Trailer:    http://youtu.be/nJvA13k0fmc

Website:  www.hackycat.com

Media Assets: Available at  http://surpriseattack.com.au/portfolio/hackycat/ 

Contact: for preview code, questions or interviews, please contact  stephen@surpriseattack.com.au 

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More details on Hackycat:

Save really cute cats from exploding. By kicking them.

Tap cats to bounce them in the air. If any cat hits the ground, it’s game over! Choose your athlete and join the official Hackycat competition!

NOTE: All the cats in this game are trained professionals. Do not try this at home with your domestic grade pets.

Simple Controls!

Tap anywhere to kick, knee or headbutt! That’s it. 

Frantic score-attack gameplay 

Don't let the hackycats touch the floor!

Collect Cheezburgers 

Spend them in the shop to unlock new cats, athletes and locations!

Adopt them all!

Over two dozen hackycats to collect and kick, including Hipstacat, Sir Pussington, Pickles (zombie cat), Sprinkles (unicorn cat), Mustachio, Bucket (robot cat), Taco Cat and many more.

Pro skills!

Use powerups, combos and superkicks to achieve epic high scores! Dozens of mini-goals to complete! Level up your athlete!

Hand-drawn art style

Lovingly hand-drawn art and lo-fi aesthetic inspired by films of Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums) and Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite)

Fully equipped

Universal app; Game Center achievements and leaderboards; retina and iPhone 5 ready

About the developer: 

Ken Wong is a well known digital artist and illustrator from Adelaide, Australia. He spent many years working with American McGee as Art Director at  Spicy Horse Games, leading the art team on games including Grimm and Alice Madness Returns. 

He has contributed work to  iam8bit and the  Sword and Sworcery AV jam, is a regular presenter at the  Animex Games and Animation Festival and was one of 28 artists profiles in Karen Haber’s 2011 book,  Masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art.                  

Hackycat is Ken’s first independent game, and his first to feature a cat dressed as a taco.

You can explore more of Ken's work at:

·       http://www.kenart.net

·      Facebook:  kenart.net

·      Twitter:  @kenwongart