Tengami, an atmospheric pop-up adventure game from the passionate folks over at Nyamyam, has announced its arrival on the App Store in style, having being pushed by Apple as a featured app.
What makes Tengami a game of particular interest is that's unashamedly premium (the Nyanyam release currently retailing at $4.99), with the developer directly billing Tengami as "a complete game with no in-app purchases and no in-game advertisements".
In the hyper competitive world of mobile gaming though, games without IAPs have a history of struggling to compete financially with their polarising F2P counterparts.
However, Apple has given Tengami a helping hand. On iPad, the game has been featured in a main banner in all the countries detailed below.
The same is largely true when it comes to the game's presence on the iPhone App Store, where - apart from in the US, where it was only featured on a small banner - the game received top billing in all of the countries analysed below.
So, with a helping hand from Apple, can the brazenly expensive Tengami buck the trend and storm the charts?
Size matters
On the US grossing chart for iPhone, Tengami hasn't exactly raced out of the traps.
The game struggled to breach the top 200, peaking at #181 two days after launch before dropping outside of the top 200 again.
Tengami's top grossing performance in the US iPhone top 250 chart - via App Annie
On the US grossing chart for iPad, however, Tengami hasn't had to endure life outside of the top 100, entering the chart at #91, and peaking at #45.
Of course, it's no surprise to see a game of Tengami's ilk performing better on the iPad, as the title's striking visuals and intricate pop-up puzzles can only truly be appreciated on the iPad's 9.7 inch - or 7.9 inch if you're rocking a mini - screen.
Tengami's top grossing performance in the US iPad top 250 chart - via App Annie
It's a similar tale in the EU 5 - the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain - where Tengami's performance on the iPad outshines its admirable showing on the iPhone.
The European top grossing charts for iPhone shows that Tengami has been well received in the all of the major countries apart from Spain, with the game breaking into the top 50 in the UK, Germany, and Italy, peaking at #33 in the UK.
Tengami's top grossing performance in the European iPhone top 250 chart - via App Annie
Once again though, Tengami has found more success on the iPad.
On the European top grossing charts for iPad, Tengami has broken into the top 50 in all five countries, climbing the charts with apparent ease, and peaking at #13 in Germany where it has been particularly well received.
Tengami's top grossing performance in the European iPad top 250 chart - via App Annie
In Asia, Tengami has been excelling in certain countries, while simultaneously falling short in others.
On the Asian top grossing chart for iPhone - which takes a look at performances in China, Japan, and South Korea - Tengami has been performing well in China, climbing the charts with pace, and recently breaking into the top 50.
In South Korea and Japan, however, it has failed to gain traction, and is now labouring within the top 200 and top 300 respectively.
Tengami's top grossing performance in the Asian iPhone top 250 chart - via App Annie
On the Asian top grossing chart for iPad, Tengami's fortunes have predictably turned around, with the game breaking into the top 100 in all three countries.
The game is still performing best in China, where it has peaked at #29, though it also looks ready to challenge for a place in the top 50 in Japan and South Korea, where it currently sits at #60 and #57 respectively.
Tengami's top grossing performance in the Asian iPad top 250 chart - via App Annie
All in all, while Tengami's $4.99 price point was always likely to alienate it from a large portion of gamers, it's been able to find a market in territories such as Germany and China.
It's unclear, however, whether being pushed by Apple has been a defining moment for the game's chart performance, or whether the apparent quality of the gameplay would have seen it through regardless.
