It began after I by chance deleted a recreation off my girlfriend’s laptop computer, not realizing it was tied to a deeply private reminiscence. This wasn’t just a few previous recreation to her; it had been her go-to consolation throughout one of many hardest occasions in her life. As a child, she’d misplaced her beloved pet, who had bravely defended her in opposition to a pack of stray canines, a second that left an enduring mark on her. The grief that adopted was overwhelming, and to manage, she’d discovered solace on this easy puzzle recreation.
By deleting it, I’d unknowingly eliminated that quiet supply of consolation she turned to when issues acquired robust. Decided to make issues proper, I dove into the sport’s origins, hoping to recreate it. That search grew to become a deep dive into a chunk of gaming historical past that few folks bear in mind.
The sport was known as Линия вкусов—Line of Tastes—a unusual, Russia-only snack-themed recreation from the early 2000s. Created as a snack firm promotion, it had easy mechanics that made it addictive, however information about it was virtually nonexistent on-line. I used to be compelled to increase my search, digging by way of boards and websites in a number of languages.
However that was simply the tip of the iceberg. Line of Tastes had a a lot deeper lineage; it was based mostly on the Vietnamese traditional Strains 98, created in 1998 for Home windows by Vietnamese developer Nguyễn Hòa Bình. The “98” in its title wasn’t only a random quantity; it was a tribute to Home windows 98! With its easy but infuriatingly addictive mechanics—lining up coloured balls to stop a board overflow—Strains 98 grew to become a success throughout Vietnam and Asia, the place it’s nonetheless fondly remembered at this time.
Strains 98 was, in flip, impressed by Coloration Strains, a Russian recreation from 1992 for DOS. Developed by Oleg Demin and Igor Ivkin, Coloration Strains launched a easy but ingenious components: line up coloured balls to maintain the board from filling up. This mechanic captured thousands and thousands of followers, notably throughout Japanese Europe and Asia, and would go on to affect puzzle video games worldwide.
However Line of Tastes? This descendant of Coloration Strains and Strains 98 was misplaced to time, leaving no hint of its quirky legacy—apart from my girlfriend’s reminiscence and a single screenshot I’d managed to avoid wasting. Impressed, I made a decision to recreate it from scratch, including just a few trendy twists. And after sleepless nights coding and designing, my model is lastly right here.
EatIt!, my trendy tackle this misplaced traditional—filled with tasty graphics, excessive scores, and simply the correct amount of frustration to maintain issues attention-grabbing.
It’s lastly up on Google Play if you wish to test it out: 🧀 EatIt! on Google Play.
I’ll be glad to obtain any suggestions from you!
