So. We did not intentionally schedule the
"Cities of Legend" game to launch on such a special date, but 12/12/12/ it is, and all the better! Drumroooollll please......
CITIES OF LEGEND (Open Beta): Now available to play. Click here to go have some fun, guys.

(To see a fabulous, gorgeous, epic game trailer to accompany it all, check out Games.com's exclusive coverage and scroll down:
[link])
I really can't exaggerate how close to my heart this game is. So let me tell you a little about the behind-the-scenes of it all.
Anyone who remembers how I originally started writing
Legend will understand how much this game means to me. Back when I first finished
Legend's initial draft and was trying to calm my nerves while waiting for my agent's feedback, I distracted myself by creating my own little
Legend-based game. Remember that one, guys? "Legend: Dystopia"? It was a really fun side project, but ultimately I just couldn't keep it up on my own. So when
Legend sold to Penguin and I started working on the sequel (
Prodigy), I had to leave "Legend: Dystopia" idle and concentrate on one thing at a time.
Fast forward to 2011. Last year, I was first given the opportunity to create something interactive that belonged to the
Legend property. I jumped at the chance. This time, I wouldn't have to create and run a
Legend game all by myself. I could have
professionals work with me! Eureka! And out of the mist came
Wicked Sweet Games (WSG), an amazing little social game studio run by a small group of game folks with deeply rooted passion for games. I came up with our initial game design, WSG breathed life into it, and together we created what is now
"Cities of Legend", of which the beta is now finally open for all to play.
For
Legend fans: you'll recognize characters, locations, and scenes from the book. You can have Metias, Thomas, Tess, Kaede, etc on your teams (depending on which side you fight for). Some of the characters, like Pascao, are from the upcoming
Prodigy (
Legend #2). Locations are all based on a map of Los Angeles that will show you the sectors that Day and June had to travel through in the book, and you'll recognize sector names like Lake, Ruby, Tanagashi, and the ever-ominous Batalla. The time period of the game is set to be right before the events of
Legend, so there are no spoilers, although some bits are exaggerated for the purpose of gameplay (i.e. Day is fighting alongside rebels, rather than working alone as he does in the first book).
Dude. Anyone who works in game dev knows the trials and tribulations that come with bringing a game to life, and you guys, WSG hit it out of the ballpark because this game is
so wonderful. I love it to pieces.
"Cities of Legend" is a puzzle game meets battle and strategy, and the heart of it all is the puzzle minigame (designed by WSG's Primo Gallanosa). Depending on whether or not you choose to fight alongside June with the Republic, or alongside Day with the Rebels, you'll face off against the opposing side in this minigame--doing well will increase your attack meter, and once you've leveled up enough, you can launch an attack on your AI opponent.
Winning at the puzzle minigame lets you conquer locations either for the Republic or for the Rebels. One of my favorite things about the game is that you are a part of a huge team. If you play as the Rebels, for example, you and all other Rebel players are fighting as part of the overall cause--and you'll see a meter in the top right corner of your game that tells you which side is winning the war. Similarly, if you play for the Republic, you are joining all your other fellow Republic players in pushing that meter in favor of the Republic. It's all-out war!
The art direction (Primo Gallanosa) and UI design (Matt Sherwood, who also is our producer and the glue that held everything together) is beautiful, suiting
Legend's dystopian mood while also staying colorful and fun. The tech side (Phil Harvey) made it all come alive. When you have such a small, tight-knit team, you get to see creative magic happen because nothing induces creativity like limitations. And these guys made some serious magic happen.
Guys, there's even a beautiful, dark, gorgeous, action-packed, original soundtrack (composed specially for the game by the amazingly talented Kole Hicks).
Anyway. I'll stop gushing about it now. On behalf of all 5 (ish) of us, thank you for giving us a try. Please go ahead and see the game for yourself, and if you like it, pass it along to your friends. We have a ton of amazing updates planned for this game, and with WSG behind it, I know it'll be off the charts.
*hugs "Cities of Legend" with crushing force*

So without further rambling, here's the
link to the game again:
[link]
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