Award-winning game now "pay what you want" until January 15

(All rights reserved - Kloonigames)

Crayon Physics Deluxe, winner of the prestigious Independent Games Festival's 2008 Grand Prize, has had its set price removed for one week, and the game's creator Petri Purho is inviting visitors to his website to "pay what ever you like".

Celebrating Crayon Physics Deluxe's one-year anniversary, the entire game is available for as little as 1 cent until the birthday sale ends on January 15.

Marking the occasion with a picture of a young chimpanzee next to a birthday cake, Petri wrote, "Pay 1 cent and you'll get the game. Pay 5 dollars and you'll make me a slightly happier man and you'll get your game. Pay the usual 19.95$ and you'll make me as happy as the chimp in that photo."

Though similar in concept to the pricing policy for Radiohead's 2007 In Rainbows album and September 2009's Championship Manager 2010, Crayon Physics Deluxe's birthday sale is inspired by the creators of another award-winning game, World of Goo, whose birthday was celebrated with a pay-what-you-want sale in October 2009.

The two-man World of Goo team then noted that due to the PayPal payment system used by their company as well as Petri Puhro, they only benefited from purchases over $0.30.

Petri had set himself the task of making a new game every month since September 2006, and his site lists 28 of the resultant projects. Crayon Physics Deluxe was a reworking of one of those games which, after nearly two years' further development, was submitted for consideration by the Independent Games Festival's grand jury.

Gameplay is simple but involving, as a ball is moved around each level by drawing on-screen shapes such as planks and pivots. Crayon Physics Deluxe was first released for PCs on January 6, 2009, while an iPhone version came out on January 1, currently available for $4.99 / €3.99.

Crayon Physics Deluxe: http://www.crayonphysics.com
Petri Purho's website: http://www.kloonigames.com