News of Acclaim’s revival has set tongues waggling, and that’s despite the majority of their IP rehomed a long time ago following the publisher’s demise in 2004. Nightdive has spent the last few years remastering Acclaim’s games, and many N64 titles have been made available on NSO. On top of all this, the Turok and Shadowman comic book licenses have already been snaffled, with new entries coming soon via Sabre Interactive and Blowfish.
Keeping the fact that many of their past titles are off-limits in mind, what does the new Acclaim have to offer? Indie games channelling the energy of their ‘80s and ‘90s hits, essentially.
Revealed during tonight’s Acclaim Showcase were the following:
- Namo Gamo’s Basketball Classics, a 5-on-5 arcade style affair with tiny yet expressive pixel art players. Featuring a three-button control scheme, it’s clearing aiming to fill an NBA Jam shaped hole. The PC version is out now with consoles to follow.
- Fer Factor’s package delivering Tossdown. Viewed from an isometric perspective and featuring plenty of carnage, it’s comparable to something like the recently released Deliver At All Costs from Konami. If you’re looking for retro inspiration, Paperboy perhaps.
- Rowan Edmondson’s cartoon like auto-shooter Ground Zero Hero, in which our hero mutates their gut by eating candy. Visually it appears to be inspired by The Simpsons games of yore, with subtle references.
- Pixel Washer, a top-down pixel art endeavour starring a pig (Pigxel) armed with a pressure washer. The town is messy, and it’s their job to clean it up. Valadria are developing.
- The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest from Elden Pixels – a Metroidvania set in a mental prison following a bout of anxiety, again with 16-bit style pixel art.
- GRIDbeat from Ridiculous Games, which is a hacking sim of sorts with rhythm elements and a minimalist art style. Move to the beat in an attempt to escape the grid.
- Potato Kid’s Talaka, a hand-drawn sketchbook style roguelite with a fast-pace and a focus on combat. It draws into Afro-Brazilian mythology to create a unique world.
- HYPERyuki: Snowboard Syndicate – a promising fusion of SSX and Trickstyle with a vibrant art style favouring neon pinks and electric blues. Character customisation is promised.
- Finally, Katanaut – which has been described as Dead Space meets Dead Cells, due to being a sci-fi Metroidvania with once-human adversaries. Armed with a sword, it’s case of dashing through bleak environments while hacking anything in your way. Developed by Voidmaw, it’s out now on PC with console versions planned.
While quite a few of the above show promise – especially Katanaut and HYPERyuki: Snowboard Syndicate – it’s a shame that the new studio heads didn’t try to acquire the rights to any of Acclaim’s dusty IP. Even a new ReVolt or Vexx would have sufficed.