Riptide managed to slam the brakes on just moments before submitting the game, when it heard that Apple was now allowing micro-transactions and in-app purchases on free games.

In light of this exciting development, Gravity Sling will now be going free, offering a couple levels of space faring, orbital action to entice you in, and an option to purchase level packs from within the game.

Riptide Games needed to make a few adjustments to Gravity Sling for it to make use of micro-transactions, but it’s hoping this will only delay submission to Apple by a couple of days.

Ngmoco has already announced something similar with its highly anticipated online shooter Eliminate, and considering this unique revenue model has the potential to keep on giving back to the developer while simultaneously reducing piracy, we can probably expect a lot more games to follow suit.

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Newly formed Riptide Games – founded by IGDA board member Brian Robbins – has a similar story, though it was born when Fuel Games Denver (creator of Vans SK8 and Lifeboat, among others) was shut down in late August.

Anyway, at this year’s 360i|Dev conference, Brian and Riptide teamed up with old colleagues Jonathan Hartstein of Pyro Monkey Productions, Seth Howard of Spatial Reasoning, Eric Lannan from Crucial Games and Ben Long of Noise Buffet to enter the iPhone Game Jam contest.

In 12 hours they put together the core gameplay of Gravity Sling – an inertia-based puzzle game in which your astronaut slingshots his way around stellar bodies to get back safely to his ship.

Riptide has since been refining the graphics and gameplay, and constructed 35 levels with full OpenFeint integration for online high scores and achievements. Riptide is also planning to add a level editor further down the line.

Gravity Sling is due to be submitted to Apple any time now, and a Palm Pre version has also gone into production, so the game should be with us soon. We’ll get you some more coverage of this fascinating developer shortly, and in the meantime, check out the gameplay video below and register your interest in the comments section.

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The basic gameplay found in Soosiz is that of a traditional platformer, where you run and jump your way past obstacles and enemies while collecting coins and rescuing your buddies along the way. Some enemies can be dispatched by simply jumping on their heads, while others need to be avoided completely. As is typical in platformers, timing and dodging become important skills in later levels. Rescuing buddies can give you additional powers (jumping higher, running faster) and once you have 100 coins, you can trigger a brief indestructible power-up allowing you to easily plow through enemies. Soosiz is very easily controlled with simple left/right virtual buttons and a jump button. Holding the jump button longer makes you jump higher.

The big twist to the game is its gravity-changing mechanic. When jumping to a platform above you, the entire world spins around and up becomes down. While this all seems like it might just be a novel gimmick, Touch Foo manages to utilize it fully across Soosiz’s 7 worlds and 65 levels. The gravity experience is truly an integral part of the game, and not simply a tacked on afterthought. Triggering this gravity manipulation simply requires you to jump onto another platform, and becomes second nature very quickly.

The game was in development for 6 months, and it really shows in Soosiz’s excellent level designs. Soosiz manages to constantly introduce new elements and obstacles to keep the game fresh and interesting across its 7 worlds. Each world carries its own themes (space, underwater, snow, etc…) as well as unique elements. Boss battles at the end of each world are also varied throughout.

You are given 3 lives at the beginning of each level, and can replay any level you’ve already unlocked. For me, the game managed to be stay progressively challenging, interesting, and fun without being frustrating, even though many of the levels took multiple attempts. Fortunately, your running coin count is not lost when you die, allowing you to continue to build up coins for the indestructible power-up if you find yourself struggling with a particular level. Meanwhile, gold, silver and bronze achievements per level, as well as the many secret areas should offer plenty of challenge for overachievers.

Graphically, the game carries a rather simple cartoon style but still retains its own charm. The game’s music, however, feels strangely out of place throughout (additional music in this video). There’s also an inexplicable use of the Up on the Housetop Christmas carol for the level win screens. While the music certainly isn’t a deal breaker, it does reduce some of the game’s immersion.

Regardless, the game is otherwise incredibly well executed with excellent controls, has a ton of content and is a lot of fun. We highly recommend it.

App Store Link: Soosiz, .99 (Intro sale, Ends Monday)

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Soosiz is a great looking 2D platformer that we previewed a few weeks ago. Aside from the usual running/jumping mechanic, Soosiz also introduces gravity flipping jumping, allowing you to jump onto platforms directly above you. The gameplay mechanic is reminiscent of Gomi but packaged in a more traditional platformer title running at a faster pace. The game comes with 7 worlds and 65 levels, each with bronze, silver, and gold achievements.

See this developer provided video of the game in action:

The game includes left/right virtual buttons for movement and a jump button for jumping. Additional on screen controls allow you to zoom out for an overview of the map. Holding the jump button down further lets you jump a little higher. Some enemies can be dispatched by jumping on them Mario-style.

Even with our brief time with the game, we’ve been very impressed with the total package. The controls are responsive and the gravity turning gameplay design works well and is very fun. The game also appears to incorporate a lot of different gameplay elements, enemies and obstacles.

A few of the more advanced obstacles and enemies are shown in this video:

App Store Link: Soosiz, .99 (Intro price)

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