PRESSKIT
Facts:
Developer & Publisher:
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myTrueSound
Release Date:
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1st of September, 2019
Platforms:
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Mobile: Android & iOS
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PC: Steam
Website:
Price:
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Mobile: 5,49€ / 4,99$
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Steam: 3,99€ / 4.99$
Business Contact:
Social Media:
Description
AudioWizards is a fully blind & visually impaired accessible audio game where you combat incoming enemies using elemental magics differentiated by their unique sounds. Grab your headphones, turn that volume up and dive into the world of Sondveiw!
What are audio games?
Audio games are games that can be played by the audio alone. Even games without visuals are possible! Making the audio and sounds as good as possible has always been the top priority for AudioWizard’s development but a little bit of graphics have never hurt anyone.
AudioWizards is set in the world of Sondveiw, a world inhabited by an organization called, you guessed it, AudioWizards.
The organization was formed to defend Sondveiw from Distortions, nasty creatures that thrive in noise, adamant on consuming the world in it.
AudioWizards believe that sound enables their magic and gives a meaning to it, but it’s hard to find harmony with all that Distorting noise around.
You play as an apprentice for a seasoned wizard called Saundaman. Saundaman’s teaching methods are pretty much “learn as you go” while he enjoys and quenches his never-ending thirst for tea.
History
AudioWizards is developed by myTrueSound. MyTrueSound is a Finnish start-up company making accessible audio games for the blind and visually impaired. MyTrueSound has set on a quest to make an accessible game engine to raise industry standards on accessibility.
AudioWizards started as a university project during a Capstone Project course. An assignment was setup by myTrueSound; to create a new accessible audio game. This gathered the interest of 9 students studying at Turku University of Applied Sciences.
MyTrueSound's CEO David Oliva shared his data about audio games and our collective conclusion was: -- Create an audio game that offers challenges and tons of fun equal to any other video game.
After a few meetings and a lot of brainstorming, we concluded that one idea, a game with wizards and magic, was the most popular choice among us. Thus the first idea about AudioWizards was born.
During the project, we had two different showrooms where students showcased their projects. AudioWizards was always very well received and we even won an award for the “Most Unique Game Idea” from the ICT-Showroom jury. The course ended in May 2019 but the AudioWizards journey is still moving forward. There are 5 students from the original team continuing the development of AudioWizards. Many of the sounds and music in AudioWizards have been done in collaboration with the blind and visually impaired community.
Features
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High-Quality Sound – Recognize everything that happens around you by the amazing sounds alone!
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As Accessible As They Get – Fully blind & visually impaired accessible with a screen reader support and intuitive navigation.
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Cartoony 3D-graphics – Includes easily distinguishable cartoony graphics, a rarity in audio games.
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Action-Packed Gameplay – Easy to learn, hard to master. AudioWizards is fast-paced, intense and challenging.
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Breathtaking Soundtrack – Music made in co-operation with the blind & visually impaired musicians.
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Charming Story Mode – Embark on a wacky journey with your tea-graving mentor Saundaman in 20 unique story levels to reveal the mystery behind the invasion.
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Challenging Endless Mode – Care for a challenge? Throw on a fashionable hat, take your listening skills and reaction time to a test and compete for the highest score against the endless waves of enemies!
Sounds
Music
Logos / Icons
Awards & Recognitions
AudioWizards won an award for the most unique game idea in ICT ShowRoom in Turku, Finland March 2019. The competition was held for IT related university projects in Turku region.
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"AudioWizards thought of users with all different ranges of vision, even low-vision, which makes this game even more awesome. From the first title screen to the last boss battle, a person with any amount of vision would be able to play and enjoy AudioWizards! ...The specific directional audio pairs very well with the bright colors of the arrows, spells, and monsters, allowing for smooth, intense battles. Games are the most fun when the player doesn’t have to think about how to interact or perform actions within the world they are in. That is what makes AudioWizards so fun. The simple and accessible interface breaks down the barrier that most mobile games build around blind or low-vision users."
A citation from the AudioWizards Review by The National Federation of the Blind.
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AudioWizards was nominated for the AppleVis.com Golden Apples 2019.
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The People Behind AudioWizards
Original Concept (Capstone Team):
Julius Kuorikoski
Karl Lahdenranta
Niko Laivuori
Axel Lindberg
Joonas Muukkonen
Jani Nevaranta
Joona Nieminen
Aissa Nylund
Aleksi Turunen
Advisor:
Kasper Ekqvist
Programming:
Niko Laivuori
Joonas Muukkonen
Art & Visual Assets:
Carles Colomar
Jani Nevaranta
Aissa Nylund
Background Music Composers:
Mikko Herranen
Zaina Arekat
Remy Chartier
Alan Escolá
Jim Fidler
Andre Louis
Yukio Nozawa
Cara Quinn
Steve Spamer
Background Music Mastering & Arranging:
Janne Kantola
Audio Design:
Axel Lindberg
Voice Acting:
Saundaman - Jaro Virta
Mezafort - Axel Lindberg
The Principal - Remy Chartier
Executive Producer:
David Oliva
