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Howmonica
Blog image
  Information
Link: Pixel Love
Developer Spydog
Released: March 22, 2013
Featured: March 25, 2013
Platform Flash
Control scheme: Keyboard
No. of levels: 50
Data saved: Levels
Genre(s): Puzzle, Platform
Website(s): Newgrounds
Soundtrack availability: Newgrounds Audio, Bandcamp
Related games
How (December 2010)

Howmonica is a puzzle-platforming game released on Newgrounds on March 22, 2013. It was featured on Pixel Love the Monday of March 25, 2013. The player controls Minni, the Cupcake Colour Bunny[1] with the goal of colouring all the blocks in a level.

Controls[]

  • Left.png Right.png Up.png Down.png Arrow keys - Move
  • Space.png Space bar - Flip gravity

Levels[]

Howmonica consists of fifty levels. For each level, the player has to colour all the grey or yellow blocks in the level to purple, while destroying other unnecessary blocks.

Click [show] to view this video


Level 1[]

The first level introduces the player to the controls of the game. Two sets of identical blocks, mirroring from each other, are seen in this level. The player is instructed to colour them all to complete the level.

Image

Howmonica-level01

Level 2[]

Level 2 has a row of blocks that extend from one of the screen to the other, as well as a shorter row of blocks directly underneath it. The goal of this level is to teach the player that if Minni goes off the top of the screen, she will emerge from the bottom and continue in that same direction of travel until she lands on a block. The player must do this to reach the second row of blocks underneath the long row, as Minni cannot fall off the sides to reach them.

Image

Howmonica-level02

Level 3[]

Level 3 introduces spikes to the game, which cause instant death to Minni on contact. Here, the player must avoid the vertical alignment of five spikes so that Minni can land on all the blocks on the other side of it.

Image

Howmonica-level03

Level 4[]

Minni is put in an enclosed space on top of a row of five blocks. Next to her is another row of five blocks, separated by a stack of four spikes. A row of five blocks can also be seen directly above the spike barrier. The rest of the border is made up of spikes.

Ending[]

This navigational box contains a spoiler. Click [show] to open.

The ending states "All blocks coloured, mission accomplished". Upon that happening, the credits roll.

Blocks[]

Hazards[]

  • Spikes - A very common hazard that lines the walls of levels and kills the player on contact; they sometimes also move.

Interactive objects[]

  • Teleporters - Objects that when gone through, cause the player to go through the opposite teleporter

Soundtrack[]

Howmonica's soundtrack loops between two tracks: one composed by Josh Freund, and another by Skullbeatz. When the game starts with the music, the Howmonica theme is first heard, followed by "We Heart 8-Bit".

On September 23, 2013, a remix of "We Heart 8-Bit" by Skullbeatz was released on Newgrounds Audio, entitled "You Heart 8-Bit".

"Howmonica" "We Heart 8-Bit"

How[]

How-level14

Level 14 of How

In 2010, almost three years before Howmonica, Spydog released a downloadable platformer created for JoltKombat called "How". The goal of the game is similar to that of Howmonica's in that the player must colour all blocks to complete the level. After completing the twenty levels, the game reveals the name of the character the player is controlling. A level editor included in How is not present in Howmonica.

Only two types of blocks are seen throughout How: normal blocks (which appear as destructible blocks in Howmonica) and springs. Spikes appear in the game, but are not animated.

Later levels of How involve controlling two characters simultaneously. If one touches a spike, the level restarts.

Trivia[]

  • Howmonica's mechanic of flipping in midair started out as an accident, but decided it was fun enough to incorporate.[2]
  • Despite having many similarities to VVVVVV, Spydog claims he has been making gravity flipping games before VVVVVV was released.[2]
  • Some levels are shaped in the form of animals, such as a cat, duck and snail.

Notes[]

  1. Newgrounds: Author Comments
  2. 2.0 2.1 Kongregate on Howmonica all comments, April 4, 2013, retrieved August 15, 2014.

    louvianor: Really nice game. Reminds me of VVVVV. No jump as well, just reverse gravity, but unlike in VVVVV, you can flip gravity in mid-air. Where you inspired by this game ? [sic]

    Spydog: Thanks! Um...VVVVVV and I have an interesting relationship. :P I've been making gravity-flipping games since before VVVVVV came out, and it really hasn't served as that much of an inspiration for this game. Everybody always assumes that I'm inspired by that game, haha, but it's not the case. The mid-air flipping actually started out as an accident (I forgot to include code to check if the player was on the ground), and then I found it so fun that I kept it in!

References[]

  • GameJolt: How, Dec 10 2010, retrieved Jan 11 2014.

External links[]

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