16 year old releases "Planet Bounce" on Steam gaming site

Two enthusiastic student gamers in Wellington see their year-long endeavour come to fruition as they release their video game on the STEAM global gaming site.

John Rais, who turned 16 on the game release day (7 January 2020), worked on the idea to create his own video game using Java. "I started learning about computer coding and loved it so much it became more a hobby than a school project," says John.

He created a few initial versions and released them to friends which quickly grew to an expanded 2D space combat game.

Some of the complex Java coding was left up to his expert programming brother, Nathanael Rais, who helped with core libraries including development of the complex menu selection and keyboard controls.

Saul Hernandez, owner of Cactus Software Limited in Auckland, reviewed the game beta and stated, "I can play for hours. This game looks awesome, with graphics and modes that remind me of those classic shooter games."

On Tuesday, 7 January 2020, version 5.0 was released to STEAM, allowing anyone, from an expert pro gamer to new enthusiast who loves space combat games, a free download for use on Microsoft Windows 8 and 10 systems.

The game incorporates 29 campaign levels, walking the player through a storyline and allowing them to defeat enemy ships in specific scenarios including asteroid fields, meteor showers, and even menacing alien super craft.

Something John always wanted in a game and has coded to include is a vast array of ship weapons and special upgrades that players can access by unlocking levels.

The game also includes three challenge levels for AI gaming, as well as allowing up to four people to play simultaneously on the same computer.

John is already working on updates to the game which will allow multiplayer network play as well as expanding the current in-game campaign to include more aliens, expanded planetary updates, and some new special features including a space vortex with updated gravity fields.

Rais Software NZ is a business setup by video game enthusiasts and brothers, John and Nathan Rais. This venture allows them to create and distribute new and unique video games across different platforms, world-wide.

Game details and download from STEAM:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1207770/Planet_Bounce/

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