About
The inspiration for Tall Tails and its characters comes from our founders' involvement in dog rescue. They wanted to create a new mobile game suitable for all ages to enjoy that would also incorporate their passion for these pets in need. It’s through the success of this game that ZUUL Labs will continue to support and promote responsible pet ownership and animal rescue.
Skip, the pup from our video is just one of the thousands of dogs that our founders have personally rescued and placed in forever homes. These animals’ lives were saved when they were pulled from shelters, cared for and given a second chance to live with loving families. Millions of animals each year aren’t so lucky, and it's our mission to make a difference.
For more news about Zuul Labs please visit our website: www.zuullabs.com
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Tall Tails is a one-of-a-kind puzzle adventure that might look simple at first glance, but is filled with challenging puzzles ranging from straightforward to outright brain-breakingly difficult. If you think you’re good at puzzles, you haven’t tried Tall Tails! Monsters, special tiles and your diminishing ink well all effect the strategy you choose.
How do we describe our game?
Like Candy Crush our design is friendly to young audiences, while our puzzles are built to challenge all ages.
For the game experience think Flow Free meets Angry Birds. It’s the gameplay of an enhanced, more challenging Flow Free experience with the visual appeal and excitement of Angry Birds.
We are utilizing all of the current game standards, while also incorporating our unique twist with a stage area at the top that allows players to adventure with their animated pet.
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The backbone of ZUUL Labs is really just a group of friends from the Art Institute in Costa Mesa, CA. Our incredibly talented artists, animators and developers all used to sit together in the school lab and work off the same server, named ZUUL— and that’s where we got our name. They dreamed of the day they’d be working together on their own project, and now, after each gaining professional experience for their specific craft, they've come together again to see Tall Tails come to life.
Stacked with professional experience including work on projects like: World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade, Batman: The Dark Knight, The Incredibles, Aliens vs Predator 2 2D: Requiem, X-Factor, Storage Wars, Silent Hill: The Homecoming, The Golden Compass, Coraline, Ben10: Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks, Square Enix’s Sleeping Dogs, and more.
In addition, they've worked for big gaming and entertainment companies like Blizzard, Konami, Nickolodeon, The History Channel, Travel Channel and Discovery Channel. It is this real life experience and knowledge of the industry that we feel will ensure that Tall Tails includes all the necessary elements for a successful game people will want to play… again and again!
Be sure to watch our behind the scenes "Blooper Reel" captured while making our Kickstarter video... and get to know our team!
We are committed to ZUUL Labs and willing to tattoo it to prove it!
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Add swag to any tier $35 & above! You'll be able add the additional amount in the "Pledge Amount" box once you've selected your reward tier. Just enter the additional amounts for the swag you want to the original pledge amount and we'll get the details (sizes, styles, quantities, etc.) from you later once the project is funded!
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT REWARDS: Items in any tier which are also found in the included previous tiers will be “replaced” by the item in the new tier, you will not receive the item(s) twice. Please review the tier descriptions below for detail list of what's included in each tier.
*Some rewards (such as posters, digital prints, and the art book) are still under design development (because we are adding more and more cool stuff) and are subject to change! That said...we're pretty sure you'll love them!
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Summary
Our scruffy rescue dogs are pulled into a magical pop-up storybook where players must solve puzzles to get their pup through the whimsical fairy tale. The puzzles are simple in concept, requiring players to connect paths and explore every tile while being tempted by bonus combos and rushed by monsters.
Some puzzles won’t be as easy as they appear, and will keep players captivated in their quest for achievement. Players are able to customize their dog, as they adventure through the magical worlds of classical fairy tales.
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Easy to Play
Simply press-and-drag to chart your dog’s path. Let go and watch them frolic happily through the puzzle!
Challenging, but not Intimidating
Tall Tails’ simple concept becomes challenging in later levels, but not so much so that people will stop playing. With the anticipation that a solution is just outside their reach, players will surely attempt to win on their next try.
Fun for All
Fun enough for the casual player, challenging enough for the hard core puzzler. Tall Tails appeals to all ages and types with logic and controls that anyone can pick up and play.
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Feature List
Irresistible puppy characters
Character customization
Touch-and-drag controls
Fun storytelling
Captivating puzzles filled with challenges
Micro transactions for in-game bonuses and help
Subtle teachings of responsible pet ownership and promoting dog rescue
No Puppy Left Behind
Their dog(s) will accompany them on-screen as they play, reacting to your every move, forming a bond between player and pet while subtly promoting responsible pet ownership.
Players press and drag on their screen to move their pup around the puzzle, getting combos and bringing the board to life around them as they pass. Special tiles will shoot the player forward, hop them over tiles, teleport them between spaces, and much more! Some tiles will create additional challenges for the player, while others will make solving the puzzle easier.
Gameboard, Characters & Artwork
Our first release will consist of 5 game levels (storybooks), each with 25 puzzle games, for a total of 125 puzzles. Tall Tails adventure puzzles consist of increasingly difficult levels and grid sizes.
Educational
No matter what age you are, challenging puzzles are good for your brain.
Putting a puzzle together calls upon cognitive skills, providing you with a legit brain work out.
Coordination / Critical Thinking / Memory ... while having fun, you are engaged in sequencing, planning, logic, strategy and problem solving skills.
Customization and Micro Transactions
Players will be able to purchase a variety of digital items through micro transactions to customize and personalize their playing experience.
Players can customize their digital pet with an assortment of cute, cool and fun disguises and accessories. Options are available to purchase as micro transactions, or certain items can be found, and earned, from playing the game.
If players want to go even further, they can also choose to purchase various power-ups to help get through difficult levels and unlock new stories and adventures, thus feeding their craving for increasingly challenging puzzles.
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Team Bios:
Building an engaging and successful game with story depth, character development and stunning visuals requires a team of highly skilled and dedicated people. Our creative team has worked together for many years and understands what it takes to make a solid and professional game. They are experts and avid gamers, and are passionate about their craft.
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Chief Creative Officer & Art Director:
Crash's passion carried him to Blizzard Entertainment, where he worked for 2 years as a Character Specialist Game Master and Team Lead. He worked exclusively on World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade as a liaison for community and development team to help ensure the game experience was epic for everyone. He left Blizzard to pursue his own dreams in the universe of Indie mobile entertainment. For over 7 years, Crash has been developing mobile games & apps on all major platforms, and has contributed his creative and leadership skills to such works as: Batman: The Dark Knight, The Incredibles, The Home Depot, Aliens vs Predator 2 2D: Requiem, Sony, The Price is Right, The Incredibles, X-Factor and Storage Wars apps, to name a few.
Jane is an Art Director, Graphic Designer, and overall Visual Communicator. Equipped with a “can-do” attitude, she has been a professional artist for over 7 years and enjoys putting her best work forward. Her time at The Art Institute equipped her with an expansive skill set, including Digital Painting, Vector Illustration, 3D modeling & Texturing, and both 2D & 3D Animation. Jane’s passion for Art & Entertainment took her to Blizzard Entertainment, where she worked directly with players within the World of Warcraft. In this Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game boasting 12 million players, Jane’s job was to ensure an enjoyable and compelling gaming experience for every player she interacted with. Jane has been working in the Entertainment Industry since 2006. She has contributed her work to AAA gaming titles including Silent Hill: Homecoming, The Golden Compass, and Coraline.
Crash and Jane met while attending the Art Institute, and later married during their time at Blizzard. They have been working side by side designing magic ever since.
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Mastermind Gameplay Developer:
Versatile and thorough, Kai is our intrepid lead game designer. Friendly and enthusiastic, Kai brings an aura of fun and joy with him wherever he goes. An artist that has worked in the game industry for six years on various games ranging from pixel-art platformers to full-on 3D adventures for companies big and small.
As a web game manager and programmer, Kai is versed in every step of the game design process with experience working on highly rated games, like Ben10: Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks and making community-generated content through Valve's Stream Workshop for the popular game DotA2.
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Story & Visual Development:
Equipped with an academic-arsenal of artistic savvy, and fully charged under the yellow rays of California's sun, Anthony Romero is in his 8th year of using his crime-fighting powers for good. Dubbed "The Manthony" by his fellow peers, the fledgling Art-Ninja first professionally cut his teeth working for the superhero Captain Almighty at the video-game journalism site GameAlmighty.com. Alongside his crime-fighting boss and a start-up team of avenging artists, the young Manthony would hone his skills making 2D/3D art and animations as well as designing additional superhero identities and occasionally costarring in a skit or two.
Since then, this Stocky-Crusader has traveled the Golden State lending his 3D talents to The Emmy-Award-winning Nickelodeon show Back at the Barnyard for Omation, and working as a 3D generalist and concept artist for Whitney Digital, producing educational graphics for the History, Travel, and Discovery Channels.
Best alongside a team of like-minded Art-Heroes where he can best lend his ready-to-fire cache of obscure pop-knowledge trivia and cinematic savoire faire for the greater good. His greatest strength is his ability to connect the most obscure of references possible, to take a good idea and make it great. Wherever humor and art are needed, the Manthony will be there, ready to dish out his signature brand of artistic justice.
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Intrepid Animator:
Will's passion for animation began when he first arrived in California from the Philippines in 2000. His first big gig was animating for Square Enix’s Sleeping Dogs.
Will moved on to work on Max Payne 3; he has also worked for Konami creating items for Sony’s Playstation Home, as well as multiple animations for commercial advertisements.
Will has dedicated his life to mastering the art of animation.
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The Lead Coder:
William is our lead programmer. Upon graduating from school, Will took it upon himself to develop and deploy a full game, the psychedelic Neon Falls. Will spends a lot of time ensuring his code is lean, clean and well manicured.
Will also has experience working with asset generation at SoftMirage and for the TV show Archer on FX. In his down time, Will spends time remastering his old games.
Will especially enjoys talking in third person while writing biographies about himself.
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Star UI Programmer:
Hello World! Luis Villarreal has taken up the mantle of developing UI for Tall Tails.
Luis has 10 years experience developing intuitive user interfaces, as well as building websites and mobile apps in Flash & HTML. Interactivity is his passion...he can hardly use an app or game without critiquing their UI decisions. He just can't help himself!
Luis has been a gamer for as long as he can remember...playing on the Atari 2600 and Game Boy as a kid. With this opportunity, Luis is enjoying making his mark on an indie gaming company, with a great team of talented friends.
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CEO:
A highly accomplished entrepreneur, Marty has been directly involved with several successful startups as Founder, investor, board member, advisor or CEO.
Marty was Founder/President of It’s A Grind Coffee Houses. He developed and built this nationwide chain of premium coffee houses from the ground up, to more than 300 franchises sold, serving 15 states across the US. It’s A Grind was honored by the LA Business Journal in 2005 for being the 2nd fastest growing privately held company in Los Angeles County. In 2007, It's A Grind was again honored by the LA Business Journal for being the 3rd "Top Franchisor" in Los Angeles County and in 2006, received an award from Entrepreneur Magazine for being ranked 3rd among the "Top New Franchises" in the United States. It’s A Grind was successfully acquired in 2009.
Additionally, Marty has experience with mobile development and has been directly involved in the creation and successful deployment of a cutting-edge merchant solutions platform for mobile/online ordering, payment, loyalty and marketing for the restaurant industry.
Now, he has joined forces with this talented and creative group to help lead them through the challenges of building a business while they remain focused on creating great high quality games that people want to play!
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Community Manager:
While studying Multi-Media Journalism in the UK, Rachel gathered online and broadcast experience while interning with BBC Blast and Styloko in London. Upon graduation, her enthusiastic and social nature pulled her directly into the professional world of entertainment and app marketing in Southern California, where she first met the creative duo Crash and Jane. Having written (and tweeted) about a variety of topics from App Development to Health and Fitness in prior jobs, Rachel couldn't resist jumping at the opportunity to once again work with such talented friends in an exciting start-up environment.
Our energetic ray of sunshine is here to spread her excitement of Tall Tails to you, our backers, and is ready to answer any online comments, tweets, or emails as she sips her British Tea!
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Roll-out Plans
Our plan is to initially release Tall Tails for iOS (iPad & iPhone) and Android devices, then, desktops and consoles. Utilizing the Unity Gaming Engine, we anticipate a fairly smooth and streamlined deployment path. Throughout the process, we are driven to maintain a high standard of quality and responsiveness to our user community.
Shipping
We have manufacturers and fulfillment centers lined up and ready to begin shipping once funded. Our margins need to be high enough to help us reach the goal for an expensive project, including the cost of products we'll be sending.
Where Your Contributions Go
If our goal is exceeded, then every extra dollar helps to make our game that much better, and more widely accessible. There are certain increments in funding (stretch goals) which will allow for more platforms to be added.
Essentially, the target goal, plus certain stretch goals, will cover the additional design and development costs. Every dollar beyond that will go toward increasing the production values of the game.
These may be lofty goals, but it doesn't hurt to dream big! Every single pledge will have a real impact on making a great game.
Why Kickstarter?
Risks and challenges
The time and commitment required to create and deliver a high quality, worldwide mobile gaming app, is a major undertaking for anyone. Mitigating risk and overcoming obstacles is a constant challenge. It is of the utmost importance for us to hit our target dates and goals.
Every member of our team of talented, disciplined professionals has dedicated 50+ hours a week with the intention of creating a unique and unforgettable, interactive gaming experience.
Zuul Labs has funded several months of development to date on this project, our first, and has chosen a realistic Kickstarter goal that will allow the game to be completed by our projected timeline, while accounting for the possibility of delays.
The funding of our Kickstarter campaign will allow us to complete and release this game on what we believe to be a realistic schedule. All of us at Zuul Labs are excited to share our creation with the world and we need your support to do it! We cannot thank you enough for your support, and belief in our team!
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Funding period
- (30 days)