Following 2013's successful partnership between Kid Rocket Inc. and Propaganda3, the Kansas City-based collaboration team has released volume two of Kung Fu Robot. Available as a $2.99 in-app purchase, this installment – according to its App Store description – promises "more games, more ninjas, more kung fu and one very, very angry chicken super villain." The story picks up with the previous installment's cliffhanger ending and includes three additional chapters and two new mini-games: a shooting gallery style first-person plunger shooter called "Clean Up on Aisle 9" and a rooftop cruising platform-style "Unicycle Race."
Since its release in May 2013, Kung Fu Robot has been downloaded over 130,000 times globally. The app quickly hit #3 in the books category in Apple's US App Store, reached #5 in the newly created Kids category for children ages 9-11 in September, and has gained a notable following in the UK, China and the Middle East.
The app will remain as a free download for the iPad that includes the inaugural edition of the story, where children of all ages are introduced to a robot's love of kung fu, his conscientious sidekick's fear of getting in trouble, android ninjas, a crazy rooster bent on world domination and the pursuit of the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Its original storyline, art, animation, soundtrack and mini-games caught the attention of numerous reviewers last year and in November was named by Parents Magazine as one of 2013's best kids apps.
Four more installments of the "How to Make a Peanut Butter, Jelly & Kung Fu Sandwich" are slated for 2014 and will conclude this initial story arc. Meanwhile, plans for additional iPad-based interactive comic book apps as well as new standalone experiences for the iPhone are already in development.
"To see these characters and this story embraced by kids and parents alike has been incredibly rewarding," says Kung Fu Robot creator Jason Bays. "The groundwork for additional stories has been in place for a while but now we're definitely motivated to get them in the hands and hopefully hearts of our fans."
"The world of children's entertainment is rapidly evolving," says Propaganda3 founder/CEO Cello Vergara. "The fact that Kung Fu Robot has been so successful isn't about the technology or the device. Rather, it's a testament to the power of engagement through storytelling. Kung Fu Robot has already shown that it has the power to be more than just an app."
