The hottest rising star in Top Paid Apps is the legendary vampire hunter game called iDracula, which was released on February 19th into the iTunes App Store. This app has viciously rocketed to the number one position, knocking off "Blocked" with rave reviews and constant buzz from iGamers. The marketing strategy with iDracula was simple, the app was launched on sale, offering gamers a $2.00 introductory discount upon release. No "lite version" required.
In the iDracula game, you can believe that you're some Van Helsing, vampire hunter, but the truth is you're only flesh food for wild packs of Vampires, Werewolves and other kinds of undead. I quickly realized I was no Hugh Jackman, lasting only one minute before I was eaten alive in this intense shooter survival game. The goal is to fight off the grungy low life in order to battle with Dracula himself. You can collect and upgrade six different weapons including a devastating rocket launcher that make iShoot weapons seem like water pistols.
I spoke with Chris Byatte, managing Director at Chillingo, Ltd. via email. Byatte was tight lipped about revealing anything too exciting, like iDracula sales numbers or leaking truly vital update info. It's as if the undead had already eaten his brain for a late night snack by the time he responded to my questions from the UK. I was able to carve a few gory details out of his flesh before my inbox went silent.
Byatte humbly called Chillingo's iDracula, "The arcade action hit everyone was waiting for," indicating that iGamers have been hungry for, "A genuinely fun tongue-in-cheek shooter game!" according to Chris.
With the meteoric rise of iDracula, Byatte may not be whipping skippy with his bold proclamations. Approximately three developers and a few minions worked on iDracula, with immediate plans to release an epic update. I expect the update to hit the App Store very soon, though I failed to pin Chris down on an exact release date. It's possible that the $2.99 price point may also emerge from the shadows when the update finally hits.
I was able to unearth an advance update screenshot that shows the vampire slayer deep inside the walls of Dracula's castle as part of a new level (below). The gang of bony undead look a lot like a back stage view at Fashion Week in New York. Is that Paris Hilton wearing red? You also can spot Dracula lurking on the left.
One Touch Arcade forum member responded to the leaked screen shot in this way; "OMFG thats looks freaking sweet, cant wait!!!!"
I asked Chris Byatte what cool updates iDrac fanatics can look forward to. His response was; "A kick-ass new level -- see the teaser screenshot below." Unfortunately, I learned Byatte wasn't really tipping me off to anything he hadn't already leaked in a link on the App Store splash page. FAIL!
So much for a wildly revealing interview with the Director of Chillingo. At least iDracula was not a disappointment. Email interviews suck! Now can someone please shove that wooden stake into my heart. I need to catch up on some long overdue sleep.
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