Entries for Dr. Dobbs Challenge Deuce closed on June 12th, and now we're able to announce the cream of the crop, announcing our winners of Best Game, Best One-Button Game, Best Total Conversion and Best Game Starring Dr. Dobbs and the Defy all Challenges Crew.If you missed out on it, we previously announced the winner of The Dobbs Race-to-the-Finish Challenge here, so be sure to check that out too!
First, let's announce some runners up - the entrants that unfortunately didn't manage to walk away with a final prize but are still well worth mentioning.
First Runner-up
Day of Ape Redux by James Paulin
You may remember this game as the original version was the winner of the Dr. Dobbs Race-To-The Finish Challenge. When it won then, we called it "an astonishingly accomplished total conversion of the Dr. Dobbs Challenge Deuce webgame (and as a result, a great example of just how easy to work with the code is)."
As we explained, the game is an overhead-perspective stealth action game where the player takes the role of a group of apes attempting to save other jungle animals from evil poachers, and this "Redux" version takes what was good about the original and improves it, resulting in a very high quality title. Still very reminiscent of the classic Sensible Software title Cannon Fodder, Day of Ape is one of the first games here you should play, without a doubt. Play it now here.
Second Runner-up
weyoweyo by Hermanto Kurniawan
Rather hard to explain but featuring an absolutely delightful art style, weyoweyo asks you to catapult a small, naked(?), boy out of a cannon and use him to smash cars. A one-button entry, it's completely bonkers but also strangely fun.
No point trying to dissect it any further, really - why not give it a go? You can play it here.
Now the winners!
Best One Button Game Winner
Shinguru the Ninja by Mattias Thell
A well accomplished one button entry, Mattias Thell's decision to create a one button platformer is what won it for us, with a really fantastic control system allowing players to perform very ninja-like moves such as wall jumps using only the space bar. As a result, Thell wins a $1,000 prize.
Proof of why this won is in the playing, of course, so try it out here.
Best Total Conversion Winner
Dot Killer by Kevin Bacha
A total conversion generally removes everything that would make you think of the original game, and you can't get very much further away from a platform game than with a overhead shooter!
Roughly equatable with Geometry Wars or it's ilk (earlier titles such as Robotron 2084 and Crystal Quest) the player's ship is controlled with the keyboard while multidirectional shooting is performed using the mouse. Fast paced and very playable, Bacha picks up a $1,000 prize.
You can play Dot Killer here.
Best Game Starring Dr. Dobbs And The Defy All Challenges Crew Winner
Dobbs Explorer by Georg Rottensteiner
A title from a veteran of the original Dobbs Challenge, Rottensteiner proves his ability to work within the "dobbsverse" following his work on Dr. Dobbs Challenge Remix with Dobbs Explorer.
Dobbs Explorer is a Zelda-like dungeon explorer, using many of the Dr. Dobbs assets included in the original Dr. Dobbs Challenge Deuce game to great use, and so Rottensteiner wins $1,000.
You can play Dobbs Explorer here.
Best Game Winner
Block Rogue by Stan Patton
Our grand prize winner - taking home $2,000 - is Block Rogue which came from absolutely out of nowhere, astounding our judges with its merits!
Patton has taken the Dr. Dobbs Challenge Deuce source code and not only turned it into a overhead block-moving puzzle, but also gone out of his way to create a surprising new genre, by randomly generating these block-puzzles within a randomly-generated dungeon. These kind of randomly generated games are generally called "roguelikes" and to our memory Block Rogue is one of the first hybrids of a roguelike and a puzzle game we've played. Our highest congratulations to Patton, and you can play his astonishing title here.
Congratulations to all our entrants and winners!