Kill the Plumber
Kill the Plumber is a 2015 2D puzzle game developed by Filipino developer Bari Silvestre of Keybol Games and American game artist Iskander "Izzy" Aminov. Initially released as a Flash game on Newgrounds, it was later expanded and published by Tekitown for Microsoft Windows on Steam on January 1, 2016, for US$4.99, and on iOS and Android on February 2, 2016, for US$2.99 under the name Kill the Plumber World.
It is a parody of the 2D Super Mario platformers, in which the player controls the NPC monsters instead of Mario.
The game is no longer available on iOS and Android, but it is still available on Steam.
About
Collaboration game
Kill the Plumber was initially created as a collaboration between Bari Silvestre under the alias "keybol" and Iskander Aminov as a small Flash game. The game was later expanded for a release on Steam and mobile. They established the publishing outfit Tekitown to publish the game. While they had plans for new games,[1] Kill the Plumber remains Tekitown's only game.
"Banned iOS game"
Kill the Plumber was initially set to release on iOS on July 23, 2015, but it was rejected by Apple as it "includes content or features that resemble a well-known third-party material, Super Mario Bros" despite being a parody.[2][3] The game was soft-released on Android Play store on June 25, 2015. Certain assets, including the plumber, had minor redesigns for a new iOS release.
The game would eventually be released on iOS and Android on February 2, 2016, under the name "Kill the Plumber World". However, the graphic used by the plumber resembles Half-Life's Gordon Freeman instead of Mario. The Steam release kept the new design of the plumber.
Steam release
To qualify for a Steam release, Kill the Plumber participated in the Steam Greenlight program in 2015. It started on July 23, 2015, and was greenlit by August 6, 2015.
Kickstarter
Tekitown ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for the game from August 27, 2015, until September 26, 2015, with a funding goal of US$8,000. The campaign achieved US$8,537 by the end of the campaign.
Achievements
| Event | Award |
|---|---|
| Independent Games Festival China 2015* | Winner, Excellence in Game Design |
| Casual Connect Asia 2015* | Nominated, Most Innovative Game |
| ICT Creatives Awards Night 2015 | Winner, Excellence in Innovation |
| ICT Creatives Awards Night 2015 | Winner, Best in Gameplay |
* International competition
The game was also listed as one of TechRadar's best Android games of 2016.[4]
References
- Award-winning, Pinoy-made 'Kill the Plumber' game now on Steam. January 4, 2016 at 12:47 PM. Michael Logarta. GMA News. Retrieved on 2025-01-30.
- Apple rejects Mario parody Kill The Plumber from the App Store on copyright grounds. June 23, 2015. Ric Cowley. Pocket Gamer. Retrieved on 2025-01-30.
- Keybol post on June 23, 2015 (acceptance of Apple's rejection). June 23, 2015. keybol. Touch Arcade Forums. Retrieved on 2025-01-30.
- Best Android games 2016: our top picks. Circa 2016. Craig Grannell. TechRadar. Retrieved on 2025-01-30.