Contre Jour

This article is about the video game. For the photography technique, see Contre-jour.
Contre Jour
Contre Jour icon
Developer(s)Mokus
Publisher(s)Chillingo
Composer(s)David Ari Leon
Platform(s)Browser, iOS, Windows Phone, Android, Windows 8
ReleaseiOS
August 24, 2011
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Contre Jour is a physics-based puzzle video game for web browsers,[1] Windows Phone, Blackberry,[2] Android, iOS and Symbian. It was developed in 2011 by Ukrainian developer Mokus and published by Electronic Arts through its label Chillingo. The art for the game Contre Jour was created by artist Mihai Tymoshenko. The soundtrack for Contre Jour was composed by David Ari Leon.[3] The game focuses upon a little blob named Petit, a reference to Le Petit Prince, whose means of locomotion is to be manoeuvered around by manipulating his environment through the various areas of the game using the touch screen.

Development

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On 3 November 2011 Contre Jour for iOS was made available through the App Store. A native (HD) version for the iPad was released on the same day. This was followed by the release of a free version with fewer levels for each device on the next day, called Contre Jour Lite. The game won Best Mobile Game of E3 in 2011 by GamePro[4] and reached #1 on App Store sales charts[5]

The art of Contre Jour was created by artist Mihai Tymoshenko.[6] The first concept art sketches for the game were done in two hours. The main character was inspired by the yin-yang. The black character appears in chapters 1–3, the white (blue) one in chapters 2 and 4. All the artwork was finished in six weeks. Over ten versions of the game environment were proposed. The stylistics of the art derive from black-and-white pictures. Animation and visual effects were made by Mokus.

In October 2012, the web version of the game at www.contrejour.ie was launched due to a partnership between the developers and Microsoft. The purpose was to showcase what is possible on the Web with HTML5.[1][7] Later the web version went down.

Reception and awards

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Reviews of Contre Jour were very positive for both the game and the music, among both critics and the game's audience. Blake Sabatinelli of ABC Action News called the game a masterpiece of mobile gaming, saying, "the game is so well designed that it almost feels like you're playing a piece of art,"[11] and David Carnoy from CBS News said the game, "has spectacular art design and music, along with creative imagination."[12] In December 2011, Contre Jour HD received the "iPad Game of the Year" award by Apple in their annual "iTunes Rewind."[13] Also in December 2011, Contre Jour was named the "Best Physics" iOS game of the year in Touchgen's Editor's Choice Awards.[14] In March 2012, the game won an Appy Award for "Best Puzzle Game."[15] Also in March 2012, Contre Jour was honored at the International Mobile Game Awards (IMGA) in Barcelona, Spain with the "Jury's Honorable Mention" prize.[16] In April 2012, the game received a Webby Award nomination for "Best Tablet Game.".[17] In September 2012, the game won "Xbox Live Game of the Week".[18] Also in 2012, Time magazine included the title in their list of "25 Best iPad Games for Your New 'Resolutionary' Tablet".[19] During the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Contre Jour for "Mobile Game of the Year".[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Microsoft Brings iOS Game Contre Jour to Web Via HTML5
  2. ^ Contre Jour in Marketplace
  3. ^ "Contre Jour Soundtrack". iTunes. November 2011.
  4. ^ "EA: The Beat - Chillingo Releases Contre Jour". Electronic Arts. 24 August 2011. Praised by E3 Game Critics as one of the best mobile games and winner of Best Mobile Games of E3 by GamePro.
  5. ^ "Contre Jour HD Reaches #1 on App Store Charts". IGN. 29 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Mihai Tymoshenko on Behance".
  7. ^ "Demo Contre Jour". Microsoft Developer Website. Archived from the original on 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  8. ^ "Contre Jour for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  9. ^ "Contre Jour HD for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  10. ^ Campbell, Nissa (2011-08-25). "'Contre Jour' Review – A Monochromatic Trip Through Deadly Worlds". TouchArcade. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  11. ^ "Contre Jour for iOS a masterpiece of mobile gaming". ABC Action News. Archived from the original on 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
  12. ^ "30 Best iPad Games". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 28, 2011.
  13. ^ "Contre Jour Named as iPad Game of the Year on App Store Rewind 2011". Develop. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013.
  14. ^ "TouchGen Editors' Choice Awards 2011". TouchGen.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-30.
  15. ^ "2012 Appy Award Winners". MediaPost.com.
  16. ^ "8th Annual IMGA Awards". imgawards.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  17. ^ "16th Annual Webby Awards Nominees & Winners". WebbyAwards.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-04. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
  18. ^ "Xbox Live Game of the Week: Contre Jour". wp7connect.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-16. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  19. ^ "25 Best iPad Games for Your New 'Resolutionary' Tablet". Time. 20 March 2012. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  20. ^ "2012 Awards Category Details Mobile Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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