Earlier this week Martijn Reuvers of Two Tribes took to Miiverse to confirm the developer had been forced to put the level editor for Toki Tori 2+ "in the fridge" due to other commitments.
Sadly, it appears Wii U owners won't get the opportunity to play around with the feature as the studio has now stated its development has officially been cancelled.
Writing on the Two Tribes blog, Reuvers said:
Ok let me start off with an apology to everyone that is eagerly expecting the Toki Tori 2+ Wii U level editor: we’re breaking a promise as we decided to put the editor on hold and shift our attention to something new.
He said the biggest reason for the cancellation was that Toki Tori 2+ didn’t sell as well as the studio had hoped it would and integrating a sharable level editor is not something that is easy to do.
In the end, Two Tribes felt the big update was not worth the additional investment as it will only appeal to a small percentage of the people who own the game. After weighing up all the options, the developer decided to focus on a new project.
However, the studio has devised a compromise for Wii U owners eager to play with the level editor. As the Steam version of Toki Tori 2+ has the feature, Two Tribes has said it will give that version away for free to those who already own the Wii U iteration.
In order to take part in the promotion you need to head over to the following Miiverse posts, depending on what region you live in.
European Wii U owners should go here, while US players should head here.
Once you've arrived at the post you need to reply to it with no personal information and e-mail the folks at Two Tribes on [email protected] with your Steam name and a link to your Miiverse post. You'll need a tickbox next to your name, indicating that you own the Wii U version, and once verified you shall be sent a free Steam version of Toki Tori 2+ to your e-mail address.
We hope this way we can make up a little bit for not releasing the editor on the Wii U.
What are your thoughts on the level editor's demise on Wii U? Will you be taking up Two Tribes on its offer? Let us know in the comment section below.
[source twotribes.com]
Comments 43
Bummer.
Bull ****.
I don't blame them. It is a responsible move on their part.
Also, they totally hooked everyone up with the huge update they gave us for FREE. I'd rather have that than the level editor.
And, if you haven't bought this game yet, you should. It is fantastic!!
Too bad, but a very classy move on their part to give away the Steam version. Projects are announced and then canceled all the time. Rarely do the consumers get anything for it. I ain't mad at'cha, Two Tribes.
"[UPDATE]
The Miiverse administrators don’t seem to like posting Steam IDs on Miiverse. We’ll contact Nintendo about this and get back to you through Miiverse once we settle on a solution. So keep an eye out on the Miiverse announcements!"
http://twotribes.com/message/wii-u-level-editor-on-ice
Disappointed, but thankful that they're being cool about it. It just goes to show, don't pay for something based on upcoming features. Make sure you like it as-is.
I'm not interested in the game in anyway but its awesome that they gave away free steam versions to everyone as an apology. Two Tribes have definitely earns some kudos with me.
That's quite sad, the touch screen on the gamepad seemed perfect for a level editor!
And soon i shall have a Steam account.
At first I thought I might have over-reacted to this news from the other day, but not anymore. What a kick in the face to the consumers who bought your game day one at full price based upon good faith that Two Tribes would make a worthy followup (debatable) and follow through on easily the most enticing feature.
Offering a free Steam version is insulting. I don't intend to buy a PC, so a Steam version is personally of no use. However, it's also an incredibly poor substitute for the possibility of creating levels on the Gamepad that are playable both on the TV and while the TV is occupied.
Creating content on a PC just complicates matters. First, there is so much more available I'd have to ask myself, "why make levels for Toki Tori 2, again?" You know, when I can produce music, work on mods/levels for hundred of games, search eBay for insanely rare memoribilia, post on Nintendolife...etc...
The whole draw was making levels on the Gamepad, where few games offer any ability to create custom content. On a Nintendo system where I can show/share my levels with my wife, kids, relatives, friends... Basically everybody. ('Cause they don't want to boot up a PC to play Toki Tori 2 any more than I do.).
Most importantly, in a format where those people will feel compelled to try to create something themselves as well. You can say there is little value in adding a level editor to the Wii U version for whatever reason, but to much of the target audience there is zero value in a PC version. (Which is cheap enough it devalues the eShop version, anyway...)
With the risk of sounding like a disgruntled consumer... I knew the price was a little high, but considering how much I respect the developers, my wife's love of the WiiWare version, and the potential thrill of fashioning infinite custom levels for one of her favorite games/genres...
Well, it sure seemed like a sound investment. If they can botch their premiere franchise this badly, in the future I will regrettably have to do my due diligence when purchasing a Two Tribes release in the future. And, frankly, that greatly lowers the chance of a purchase at anything but the lowest possible price.
Bad show. There's no way around it, Two Tribes.. you promised something and now you don't keep that promise. People remember that sort of thing.
Seems like they bit off more than they can chew. I recommend you look at the full post as they have quite a bit to say. Given how lazy some devs can be, I can't get angry at them for a lack of ambition.
This game never really interested me but I certainly think they're doing what they can here. Can't fault them for that!
Too bad about the process not working yet. Good idea to give a Steam version for free.
It's a small team, folks. Hard decisions have to be made.
Too bad, though.
Hmm, yeah, the Steam version seems like a fair compromise.
I forgive you guys
Bummed as well. And was only interested in the level editor to share and play other miiverse players creations. I don't use steam, so I'll just brush this off. Still would have rather preferred TT1 ($2 when it arrives on eshop) as consolation but it's only $2 bucks so no worries. Still support 2Tribes and lookin forward to what they have planned for the future of wiiU
I don't blame them for not wasting their resources if this has sold poorly anyway.
It's really cool they are providing that option.
Wow. What a great effort on the part of the developer to make sure that they try their absolute best to keep their fans happy. While they broke their promise, they still go beyond what other companies do in offering a free version that would have the added content that people are so outraged that they fail to get. It is even a bit different than releasing an XBox or PS3 Version due to most households having at least one computer. It is only comparable to having a free Phone game download. I mean it isn't like they are forcing you to buy the second game at all and you get two for the price of the one...
And this is from someone who doesn't have the game and is not interested in getting it at all. For either the Level Editor or the game itself.
Wii U gets the gimped version again. Even indies are falling into that.
Anyway, they are trying to compensate unlike most other third party companies. I am not playing Toki Tori 2 on my PC, but at least they give me the option, free of charge. No hard feelings on my part.
Nobody in their right mind would bat an eye at this news.
-They even apologized for not keeping their "promise" to consumers. Well they don't owe nothin' to nobody!
To those who "won't buy" now owing supposedly to this bad news: tell me what you hoped to achieve by not supporting this product initially? Maybe if they had your money this editor would have been a foregone conclusion!
Sorry if that's out of line, I just find the persistent hate... frustrating.
Well, there goes a sale. The level editor was the key feature the piqued my interest in the game and now they've decided that they're just not going to bloody do it. Now I'm especially glad that I didn't buy this on release when the game was still (and shall remain) incomplete.
@sillygostly very sensible. I wish more people exhibited such wisdom. The gaming market would be in a better place.
This is disappointing, but the fact that I was already satisfied enough with how the game looked to buy it well before 2+ was even released, I suppose I shouldn't be all that upset. Unfortunately I don't even use Steam because my computer isn't much good for gaming. Oh well. I guess I'll just play 2+ and call it a day.
Its a nice gesture... but it wont convince me of purchasing any two tribes' titles in the future. I dont game on a pc. So their solution doesn't suit me at all and yes I only purchased the title for the level editor because I'm a sucker for games that allow you to create.
Oh, come on! I can see how the level editor for the WiiU version is a kinda failed investment, but this is just lame. I have nothing against Steam, but I sure as hell won't install it on my PC just for a level editor.
Right off the bat, I can't think of any other kind of substitute for this, though, so I guess it's the best they can do right now.
@Swiket It wouldn't be too hard to do a cross-platform level sharing system. They only have to allow uploading the actual content (level code, maybe preview image) alongside user information and then add an option to BOTH versions to access these files and download them to their respective platforms. Of course, it's not as simple as I make it sound, but if they made a level editor for the Steam version already, they shouldn't hav THAT much of a problem porting that editor to the WiiU...
The level editor would have been a nice extra to tinker around with, but I got 30+ hours out of the game already, so it was more than worth the 13,49€ original price. No bad feelings. TT2+ is now a concrete awesome 9/10 in my book, instead the perfect 10/10 it could have been.
The free Steam version offer is useless to me but good for those who can play it. I'll take the 1.99€ deals on the 3 Two Tribes classics for Wii U instead and wait for the hardcore game they just announced
I'm torn b/c I got the game w/ the hope of a level editor in the future - the + update came out only a few week sago, THAT would have been the time to make the announcement about the level editor being kaput - BUT I'm still glad I got the game. Played it about 3 hours a day for 5 straight days to beat it (on my own, pats back).
I've had a steam account for years and just bought a new PC that would probably run it but those steps seemed complicated, and then unwanted, so if somebody can let me know a better way to do this I'll be glad to DL it. Not even sure I remember my ID and password, I always just auto log in.
It was a tough call affecting a small but vocal minority. I'm glad they're offering the Steam version for free.
Well that's weak. The promise of a level editor is why I bought the game on launch day. I don't have Steam and don't really want it. Oh well. *Goes back to playing Wind Waker HD
Haha a lot of people didn't buy it waiting for the level editor. They think they'd lose money for not making a level editor, but it's quite the opposite.
At least there's a compromise, something that a lot of other devs that cut content never even think of offering.
Good on ya, Two Tribes.
Can't wait to see if your new projects make it to the Wii U.
Don't bother!
The game is already perfect (best game on WiiU imo), I don't think the level editor would make it any better for me (I've never been a great fan of such features in a game).
For the puzzle adventure fans out there, GO BUY THIS GAME ASAP!
I'll take them up on their offer, but it's still a load of bollocks if you ask me.
Nice that they're making a compromise, they didn't need to do that at all. Respect from me.
They're only a small a small dev, and given how few copies the game probably sold on WiiU I guess it simply wasn't worth the opportunity cost to implement the level editor. Seems fair to me.
So basically, if you don't have a pc then you're outta luck. I'd rather just have the price refunded since they're willing to give the steam version out freely.
oh yeah, getting this on steam c:
People may have bought this game on WiiU because of this promise made by TwoTribes. In this regard people have a right to be pretty upset. On the flip side, I thought Toki Tori 2 was an excellent game and worth every penny. It did some bold new things, like trying to be so intuitive, no instructions were required.
On the whole I got my value for money and am not upset at all by the lack of level editor, but I think people who bought Toki Tori 2 on WiiU have every right to be upset.
is it just me or do most the articles on this site lately basically telling us what where not getting on Wii U? How can Wii U compete if its constantly bad news like this?
More spoiled little kids bickering in the face of cold hard facts. And 2tribes even give you a free game to say sorry and get more bickering in return. Some of you guys are just pathetic.
This is what, the third - Fourth? - developer explaining frankly and honestly that they can't make it work financially on this platform. For a company, once you reach that conclusion, it's over. It would literally be a criminal offense in most countries to continue.
This console is bleeding out. Nothing we can do.
I wish I liked this game more, and I doubt I would make levels for it. The puzzle elements are a little redundant and the exploration is such a chore... just imo
@Sceptic You sound ridiculous, man. Dude, we spent our hard-earned money based upon good faith and broken promises. We are Two Tribes' most fervent supporters and that money pays our bills, feeds our families, puts us through college, etc... So we're supposed to bow down and show appreciation companies for failing to follow through on their commitments to the consumer? Or excuse them because it's all the Wii U's fault?
Lest you forget, the level editor was a major marketing ploy. One that, if released, helped justified the relatively high price point. Now, we can argue all day about the veracity of TT2's design elements, but I've watched many people of varying ages/skills fumble around trying to find a reason to keep playing this game.
As a reviewer, I rarely use my own opinions as a guide or sort of gospel. And that qualifies here, as well. As a longtime gamer, I'm very capable of motivating myself to find the joy in about any game and finding the desire to see it through. But any game requiring that sort of dedication... Well it's arguable how valuable that sort of experience is to the paid consumer.
Anyway, I have a hard time picking the Wii U as the core issue with TT2's eshop sales performance. Whatever your perspective, the developers must accept some, if not most, responsibility. In this case, the reviews were hardly sparkling and, through the eyes of many consumers, the original release of highly dubious entertainment value.
@ACK: They did accept responsibility. They said "it didn't sell well enough to justify the cost, we're really sorry". And they gave everybody a free game to boot. I'm disappointed too, but I'm not so naive as to ask a company to flat out donate their efforts for free. Every business venture is dependant on its profitability.
This was a pretty cheap game that offers huge entertainment value for the money. No, it's not the best game in the world, but in the current WiiU lineup, it's certainly near the top as far as development quality goes.
And seriously, if Nintendo had made the exact same game, this place would be falling all over itself with raving praise of its brilliance. There's a bias here that goes well beyond just being a fan, because it's not just in favor of Nintendo, it's to the detriment of solid, not to say outstanding, and innovative efforts of other developers, that get nit-picked down to a 5* or 7* score over things that stem primarily from them trying to push the envelope a little rather than play it safe and rehash some old concepts and IP.
TT2+ is a fun game, great for kids and gown ups alike and it is inexplicable to me and very undeserved that it didn't sell well on WiiU. But people seem to be so completely in denial that they somehow think Nintendo will magically appear and resurrect this console from the ashes.
Nintendo can't do it alone and it's games like TT2+ that add charm and value to this console. And for that, they deserve our "hard earned cash", even if, unlike Nintendo, they only want a little bit of it.
They actually gave me my Steam key relatively quickly. Quite glad they caught me in time just as I got a new PC that I'm gonna amp up for gaming pleasure.
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