Hurdle Turtle 2 - Available Now!

The day has arrived!  Hurdle Turtle 2 is now available on the Xbox 360 Marketplace!  Click the cover art below to queue up the game (or the trial version) to your Xbox! :)  Watch out for zombies!

    

Here are some quick facts about the new game (check out other recent entries on our full blog for some interesting Hurdle Turtle trivia!): 

• 4 player local coop!
• Upgraded graphics!
• New underwater stages!
• Progressive gameplay featuring an overworld map screen.. no longer an endless runner!

Bonus surprise!  All day October 31st, Hurdle Turtle iOS will be free!  Click here to grab it up like so much free candy :)  It also contains some awesome Hallowe'en themed Turtles!

 Enjoy!  And have a safe and happy Hallowe'en!

 Holmfry

Interesting Facts, Day 14: Hurdle's Origins!

Hurdle Turtle was conceived from boredom, born to bring fun to the world.

That's pretty melodramatic, but also accurate.  Several years ago, I was attending a particularly dry meeting at my day job, and as I'm wont to do, I started doodling in the margins of my notebook.  I drew a few random things, one of which was a happy little turtle launching himself over a hurdle.  I laughed out loud in spite of myself because of the way it rhymed (it was a very dry meeting) and how cute the doodle was.

This is a dramatization; the original sketch has unfortunately been lost.

Hurdle lived in the back of my brain for several weeks after that, until I finally decided we must make this spirited little fellow into a game, and Hurdle Turtle was born!

And now...

Hurdle Turtle 2 will be released on Xbox 360 tomorrow!!!

 Holmfry

Interesting Facts, Day 13: What species??

Ever wondered what species of turtle Hurdle Turtle is?

He's actually a Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia Mydas).  From wikipedia, Chelonia Mydas "is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The common name comes from the usually green fat found beneath its carapace."

Photo by Alexander Vasenin

Green Sea Turtles are also endangered.  To learn more or to help out Hurdle's buddies, check out the World Wildlife Fund's site here.

2 days to go until Hurdle Turtle 2 is released on Xbox 360!

 Holmfry

Interesting Facts, Day 12: Braaaaainssss!!

That's right!  Hide yo kids, hide yo wife, they eatin' errbody's brains out here!

The living dead have invaded Hurdle Turtle 2!  Hurdle and friends will have to brave the terrors of zombie infested woods!  Stay safe out there, Hallowe'en is almost here!

Also, check out our updated website, which has been done up just in time for Hallowe'en!

3 days to go until Hurdle Turtle 2 is released for Xbox 360 on 

ALL HALLOW'S EVE!

 Holmfry

Interesting Facts, Day 11: Name that Turtle!

Over time, we've had the extreme and often hilarious pleasure of watching scads of "Let's Play" Hurdle Turtle videos on Youtube.

They are always a blast, and in some cases, the players have even come up with some great names for the speedy green guy, a couple of our favorites being "Charles Barkley" and "Sanders".

With a sequel fast approaching, however, we thought it a good time to reveal that his name is, infact, Hurdle. :)  

But take heart!  Hurdle Turtle 2 has 3 other turtles - pink, blue and yellow - that remain nameless for now, so keep up the creative naming! :)

4 more days until Hurdle Turtle 2 releases on Xbox 360!

Holmfry

Day 10: Twitter Giveaway!

Today we put aside the interesting facts once again for another chance for you to win!

Keep your eyes locked on our Twitter feed!  Within the next hour we'll be launching a new giveaway, in which you can win a copy of Hurdle Turtle 2 when it releases!  This will be our last giveaway during the countdown to release day, so don't miss your chance!

Follow us on Twitter @Holmade_Games for more details!

5 more days until Hurdle Turtle 2 releases on the Xbox 360!

Holmfry

Interesting Facts, Day 9: Hidden Guinea Pigs!

There's actually a game-within-a-game we've been keeping on the downlow for quite some time now.  Ever since our first game released in 2008, we've hidden an image of my pet guinea pig, Spazz somewhere in each game, and Hurdle Turtle is no exception.  Spazz is like our little undercover mascot.

He could be hiding in the cover art, or somewhere in the game itself.  See if you can find them all!  It's like our very own version of Where's Waldo. :)

6 days to go until Hurdle Turtle 2 is released on Xbox 360!

 Holmfry

Interesting Facts, Day 8: Oh, those chiptunes!

The music for all of the Hurdle Turtle games was composed and created by amazing Swedish musician, Eli Hedman (Octapus).

You can actually find the soundtrack for the original Hurdle Turtle and the 1st level pack over on Bandcamp.  Eli also has a soundcloud page with even more awesome music, and we highly recommend you go check it out!

 

7 days to go until Hurdle Turtle 2 is released on Xbox 360!

  Holmfry

Interesting Facts, Day 7: 4 Player Co-op!

The original Hurdle Turtle let you sit next to your friend on the couch and scream at the TV together as you were both repeatedly pelted by fast approaching obstacles.. admit it, you loved it!

But you know what's even more fun?  Screaming along with three other friends on your couch while you're all repeatedly pelted by fast approaching obstacles - and that's just what Hurdle Turtle 2 lets you do!

Make sure you have extra batteries ready, cause things are about to get cra-zy!

8 days to go until Hurdle Turtle 2 is released on Xbox 360!

 Holmfry

Day 6: Sweepstake Results!

We'll be back to our interesting facts tomorrow, but for now we wanted to announce the winners of yesterday's giveaway!  Yes - we said winnerS!  Our random selector robot went haywire and just couldn't stop!

With no further ado, congratulations to Celso Fontes, Shawn Dennis and Nubia Amaral!  Each of you will be receiving copies of Hurdle Turtle, Hurdle Turtle: Level Pack #1, Hurdle Turtle: Celebrations & Hurdle Turtle 2!

Stay tuned for more facts, prizes and fun!

9 days to go until Hurdle Turtle 2 is released on Xbox 360!

 Holmfry

Day 5: Win all the Hurdle Turtles!

Day 5 of our 'interesting facts' countdown is less a fact, and more a facebook giveaway!

Today, we're giving away a copy of every Hurdle Turtle game for the Xbox 360 to one of our lucky Facebook fans!

This four game Mega Prize-Pack includes Hurdle Turtle, Hurdle Turtle: Level Pack # 1, and Hurdle Turtle: Celebrations!  That's 9 levels of turtle madness!  Plus, you'll also receive a copy of Hurdle Turtle 2 when it releases on October 31st!

It's simple to enter!

1) Make sure you've "Liked" our Facebook page, and then..
2) Comment on & share the contest post on our Facebook page!

..and you'll be entered in the draw for a chance to win!  And yes, there's a possibility you can sway the randomness of the draw with clever Facebook comments :)

Contest closes tomorrow, Oct 22nd at 8PM EST!

Good luck everyone!

And keep an eye on this blog, because we may (or rather, will) do this again before the end of the countdown, and it may be geared towards one of the other social networks :)

10 days to go until Hurdle Turtle 2 is released on Xbox 360!

Holmfry

Interesting Facts, Day 4: C-c-c-c-ombos!

In Hurdle Turtle 2, you're not just trying to dodge everything and survive - well, that is a huge part of it, but you're also trying to rack up the most points per level, too!  The best way to do this is through combos.

Every hurdle you manage to jump over consecutively racks you up more and more points - and not all hurdles will be waiting in a nice line for you - so keep those combos going!

11 days to go until Hurdle Turtle 2 is released on Xbox 360!

 Holmfry

Interesting Facts, Day 3: Swimming!

Yes, it's true - he's not a tortoise!

New to Hurdle Turtle 2 are swimming levels, which see Hurdle submerged in his favourite habitat for the first time.  Rather than hurdles, you'll need to navigate through rings while dodging octopi and other underwater threats, so get ready to dive in!

Hold your breath, because it's about to get hectic!

12 days to go until Hurdle Turtle 2 is released on Xbox 360!

 Holmfry

Interesting Facts, Day 2: Hurdle's Makeover!

Hurdle Turtle's new design was inspired by a certain plumber when his best adventures were remade for a 16-bit collection.

Okay if that wasn't obvious enough, we're talking about Mario's transition to the SNES with Super Mario All-Stars.

See for yourself the difference 8 extra bits can make!

We wanted to make the game look shiny and new while at the same time increasing the definition of the characters, thereby shrinking them and making more room for four players on the screen at once - but more on that at a later date ;)

13 days to go until Hurdle Turtle 2 is released on Xbox 360!

 Holmfry

Hurdle Turtle 2: Interesting Facts, Day 1!

Game progression!

Hurdle Turtle 2 is not an endless runner like the original.  Instead, you'll find yourself bounding through stages laid out on a colourful, old school overworld map!  Unlock more stages as you progress, and replay them to keep challenging your buddy's (or your own) highscores!

We like to refer to it as an Adventure Runner!

The overworld map provides an intuitive and familiar interface to a multitude of levels.

and...

14 days until release on Xbox 360!

Holmfry

Hurdle Turtle 2 Release Date Announced!

Hurdle Turtle 2 is coming to your Xbox 360 on October 31st, 2013!

That's just 15 days away!  Every day up until release day, we're going to post a new fact or detail about the game that you probably didn't know!  These could range from major new features to interesting tidbits about the design of enemies, levels or the game itself.

To kick things off, we want to know what feature you're most excited for in HT2. Vote on the poll over on the right, or sound off in the comments below!

And don't forget, come back tomorrow for the first HT2 factoid!

 Holmfry

Hurdle Turtle: Celebrations Now Available!

Hurdle Turtle: Celebrations, the festive special released to celebrate Hurdle Turtle's 3rd birthday, and the upcoming release of Hurdle Turtle 2, is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace!

Click the picture or right here to queue it up to your Xbox 360!

Enjoy some cartilaginously-shelled spin jumping action!

 Holmfry

Announcing (Officially!) Hurdle Turtle 2!

A few weeks back we sort-of announced, via our various social networks, the sequel to what is probably our most beloved game - Hurdle Turtle 2!  Well, now we'd like to full-on announce it all officially and stuff - HT2 will be releasing on Xbox Live Indie Games later this year!  We have some brand new screenshots for you as well!  Click the pictures to embiggen.

Hurdle's got a brand new posse.

See?  Not a tortoise!

These images show the game in progress and do not necessarily represent the final version.

As you can see, there's a bunch of changes and new features that have been added.  Graphics are tighter, Hurdle actually earns his Turtle title by swimming through some stages, and there is now 4 player local co-op!  Believe me, if you thought the original got crazy as the speed poured on, just you wait... ;)

In addition to all of that, Hurdle now progresses throughout a series of stages - no more endless running for this turtle!

As if all that wasn't enough, another treat is that Octapus is back with another amazing chiptune-inspired soundtrack!

There are other surprises in store as well as development continues, and you'll find out about them first-hand right here, so stay tuned!

 Holmfry