Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka releases a puzzle game

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2021-12-19 17:07 JST)

Yuji Naka’s solo-developed puzzle game SHOT2048 is now available for free (with ads) on iOS and Android.

SHOT2048 is a puzzle game based on the rules of 2048 that Naka refers to as a “hyper-casual game.” In 2048, the player slides numbered tiles that add together when they come in contact, with the goal of making a 2048 tile. In SHOT2048, instead of tiles, players shoot 12-sided die with numbers written on them to create a 2048-die.

The game starts with one 2-die placed on each end of the playfield. The die in front of you can be moved back and forth by swiping your finger, and releasing your finger shoots the die forward in a straight line. Since the two dice are the same number, when they come in contact with each other, they combine to form a 4-die.

After that, dice of a random power of 2 appear and you have to shoot them to the other end of the playfield combining them with the other dice to make a 2048-die. If you don’t do a good job combining and adding dice, they will start to pile up and spill into the front area of the playfield. If the dice stay in the front half of the playfield for a certain amount of time, it’s game over.

The dice themselves have collision physics, so when dice of separate numbers bump into each other, they push, bounce, and pop up on top of other dice.

Of course, you don’t always get a number you need, so a big part of the game is using these dice to push other dice of the same number into each other. Like with billiards, taking angles into consideration when knocking dice into each other is an effective technique.

The game also has a score system, with the score increasing when dice are added together. If a combined die bounces into another die and combines again, it becomes a combo. And through leveling up, die with larger numbers become available to shoot. The game can also be continued after reaching 2048, with the target becoming 4096 and so on.

SHOT2048’s creator Yuji Naka is known for working as a programmer and producer on series like Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, NiGHTS into Dreams, and a number of others. He was even a member of Square Enix while working as the director of Balan Wonderworld, which released this year. After his time at Sega, Naka founded his own independent studio called Prope that in recent years has consisted of himself as its only member.

After leaving Square Enix in June of this year, Naka said that he’s already 55 years old and may retire. But as he turned 56 in September, he revealed that he had begun studying programming again and was developing a mobile game in the Unity engine. That game is likely SHOT2048. Naka says it’s the first game he’s developed in his 37-year career all by himself.

SHOT2048 is available now on iOS and Android. Ads in the game can be removed with an in-app purchase, and players can buy continues via in-app purchase as well.

[UPDATE 2021/12/20 14:14 JST]
Updated text regarding in-app purchases.