Ongaku

08 OCTOBER 2010 LEAMINGTON SPA, UK Blitz 1UP have today announced the release of a new and improved version of award-winning music game Ongaku, across portals including www.Blitz1UP.com/Ongaku, www.ongakugame.com and www.gamersgate.com/DD-ONGAKU/ongaku. This release of Ongaku holds a new vision of the already popular game and a host of fantastic new features for PC gamers and rhythm action fans worldwide.

Ongaku is a 2D rhythm action game combining an original score and stylised artwork. Players take the role of the magic crystal Ongaku and progress through the fantasy kingdom of Melody by popping paint bubbles in time to the music. If successfully popped, the paint bubbles reveal an artistic masterpiece, bringing the canvas to life with its unique artwork. There are endless possibilities with a wide range of new features to customise and share your experience:

• Enjoy 11 brand new lusciously animated levels, each with their own new music theme

• Auto-generate playable levels from your favourite music tracks, pictures or videos using the Tune-O-Matic

• Discover you inner artist with the ability to import your favourite media and create your own levels using the Melody Maker

• Share the levels you've created with your friends and see their creations

• Five difficulty settings allow you to enjoy playing, whatever your level of expertise

• Ever-growing collection of new downloadable Theme Packs available, including Pop, Rock, Dance and many more.

The Flash prototype of Ongaku won the prestigious Armor Games Rhythm Action Competition and was then nominated for Game of the Year 2007 on the international website Newgrounds.

“We’re incredibly pleased to be able to unleash the fantastic new version of Ongaku upon the world today,” says Chris Swan, Blitz 1UP’s Business Development Director. “We’re really looking forward to seeing all of the crazy levels people will create with the in-game editor!”

Adds Zuby Ahmed, Managing Director of SmashMouth Games: “All of us here at SmashMouth Games are very proud of the hard work and effort we have put into Ongaku. We have taken the feedback from players and strongly believe we’ve created a very special game; one which allows gamers the ability to play however they want, with whatever they want. In today’s casual and core game markets, no other game has a feature set like Ongaku for such a reasonable price. As well as a really cool story mode, players get a sophisticated media analyser which lets them play with their music, pictures and videos in brand new and exciting ways. There’s also a superb, yet simple to use, level creator along with tons of extra content to download. We hope that all the fans will adore what we have done and all those new to Ongaku will fall in love with the game. If you enjoy the game, please spread the word; ONGAKU!”

Portals selling Ongaku as of the 8 October 2010:

www.blitz1up.com/Ongaku

www.smashmouthgames.com/Webpages/Games/Ongaku.html

www.ongakugame.com/

www.thegamecreators.com

www.gamersgate.com/DD-ONGAKU/ongaku

Visit us at: www.Blitz1UP.com

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For screenshots: www.flickr.com/photos/32483062@N08/

For Blitz 1UP videos go here: www.youtube.com/Blitz1UP

For developers interested in discussing further opportunities with the Blitz 1UP initiative please contact developers@blitz1up.com

If you are a publisher/vendor/distributor looking for games please contact gamelicensing@blitz1up.com

Media contacts:

For all enquiries outside of the US, contact Izzy Miller, Blitz Games Studios' PR Coordinator at emiller@blitzgamesstudios.com

About Blitz 1UP:

The Blitz 1UP initiative was launched in 2008 as an outlet for small, independent teams to bring their titles - finished and unfinished - to market on XBLA, PSN, PC, WiiWare, iPhone Flash and Mac. The scheme offers tailor-made packages to indie developers including PR, QA and access to its established distribution channels. The initiative provides a wide range of services, from design and production advice through to assistance with finding distribution and publishing partners. www.Blitz1UP.com

About Blitz Games Studios:

Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, Blitz Games Studios is based in Leamington Spa and was founded by industry veterans Philip and Andrew Oliver. It now has more than 220 staff and its six divisions encompass mature titles (Volatile Games), Serious Games (TruSim), family titles (Blitz Games), licensable middleware (BlitzTech), downloadable games (Blitz Arcade) and its education division (Blitz Academy). www.BlitzGamesStudios.com

About SmashMouth Games:

SmashMouth Games is an award-winning independent development company focusing on creating casual and innovative videogames for the download market. Since SmashMouth Games was established in 2006, the company has released a Flash Version of its first game, Ongaku, which achieved over 100 000 downloads in its initial two week launch (now over 450 000 downloads). Ongaku went on to become a leader in its field, winning the prestigious, "Armor Games Rhythm Action Competition" hosted by the international website Newgrounds - the most visited Flash-Portal on the Internet today. In May 2008, Ongaku was nominated for Game of the Year by Newgrounds. Currently the company is working on three projects, the first of which is Ongaku, for multi-platform release. SmashMouth Games is also a registered Wii Ware developer, Apple iPhone developer, and is part of the Microsoft Empower Program. The company also has successful educational ties with The University of Salford and is also based at Futureworks Manchester School of Media ( www.futureworks.co.uk/), both of which are situated in the heart of Manchester. For further information visit: www.smashmouthgames.com