Gangnam Style Massacre (found mobile game; 2012)
Gangnam Style Massacre is a mobile game created and developed by Carolina Patron,[1] published by Psycho Bear Studios and released for iOS on November 4, 2012. The game was released to capitalize on the popularity of the Psy song "Gangnam Style" and its subsequent dance craze. It was re-released under a new name and with new gameplay as Gangnam Dance School on December 14, 2012.
Original Game Description
According to GameRevolution, the following was the game's original description:
"You are in Gangnam, a wealthy neighborhood in the South Korean city of Seoul. To be precise, you are out in front of the most elite archery school in the city. Your job is simple. Take your bow and arrows, and shoot them to hit as many of the vases off the top of your friend’s head. Aim too high, and your shot doesn’t count. Aim to [sic] low... well, then you’ll kill your friend, and your game is over."[2]
Gameplay
The title screen is a parody of the single artwork for the original "Gangnam Style" single, which is also seen at the end of the music video. While the Psy drawing is exactly the same save for various attire re-colors and his stance being mirrored, the horses are completely redrawn with a more cartoonish appearance.
In the actual game, you play as a school girl holding a bow and arrow. A character who looks like Psy stands a few feet away with a vase on his head and a flag pole behind him brandishing a green flag. Using your iPhone or iPad touchscreen, you control how your character aims the arrow and how much force you want to use. The goal is to break the vase on the other person's head from various distances, earning 100 points with each level you complete. If you either shoot too high or directly shoot the other person, you lose the game and have to re-start from Level 1. All of this gameplay takes place against the un-moving cartoon backdrop of a two-story school, a sign reading "GANGNAM STYLE" perched on top of the roof.
"Gangnam Style" is never actually played as music. Instead, a generic techno/house beat is looped throughout the game.
Sandy Hook Massacre and Gangnam Dance School
On December 14th, 2012, Adam Lanza opened fire at students and faculty at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. 28 people, including Lanza, were killed in the massacre.
Within hours of the massacre occurring, a new update was released for Gangnam Style Massacre. This update, Version 2.0, changed the name, icon, gameplay, mechanics and storyline of the game, now titled Gangnam Dance School. The update read:
☆ Brand NEW Awesome Game Play (You are now running for your life from the Kingdom Witch!)
☆ Introducing the Gangnam HORSE !!!
☆ It's 10X Better than it was before.
Smaller Changes:
New Fresh Name ChangeIcon Change
Performance enhancements
While a reason was never given for the new game being released, its timing with the Sandy Hook Massacre seems to have been a factor.
Availability
Due to the name and gameplay change, the original version of Gangnam Style Massacre is not traditionally accessible. Even the version history listed for Gangnam Dance School on the App Store makes no reference to the original game under "Version 1.0." It wasn't until June 18th, 2022 when version 1.0. 2.0, and 2.1 of Gangnam Dance School/Gangnam Style Massacre were uploaded onto the Internet Archive by user Computerdude77.
Gallery
External Links
References
- ↑ GameFAQs listing of Patron as developer/publisher. Retrieved 04 May '22
- ↑ GameRevolution listing of the game. Retrieved 04 May '22