Interest, both public and industry, in brawler-styled games has been slowly fading since the early 2000s. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule: the Super Smash Bros series, along with games like Marvel vs. Capcom (among others) have become popular, but failed to do a huge amount for the wider gaming market. It’s a self-perpetuating downturn: the public play fewer ‘beat-em-up’ games, and so companies are unwilling to invest in developing new ones, which, in-turn, sees fewer beat-em-ups on the shelves. Of course combat has and will always be a popular theme, but the industry as a whole is currently firmly grounded in ‘the Shooter’.
In 2008, a development-studio named Wolfire games announced a spiritual successor to a game named Lugaru; a third-person combat simulator based around anthropomorphic animals duking it out with everything from fists to broadswords. This sequel, based around a similar concept, was to be called ‘Overgrowth’. It underwent development the month of its announcement, and has retained public interest throughout the four years that it has been worked-upon thus far.
This, in itself, is unusual, as we often think of the development cycle of a game being pitted with dips and upsurges in interest, spurred by long periods of silence, and teaser trailers, respectively. Part of Wolfire’s secret is its open nature. Every couple of weeks, they release a short YouTube video, detailing changes that they’ve made, and what they are working on next. The Alpha build of the game, available for preorder at their site, is also constantly being updated. This failure to treat interested parties like idiots, and reward to long-term purchasers makes for a loyal and more-patient fanbase.
But wait, there’s more.
The real gem here, and the thing that has us excited, is the game’s engine. The Phoenix Engine, custom-built for Overgrowth, and still under development, looks set to turn a few industry heads. In essence, it revolves around a skeletal system. Now, most in-game models have a kind of skeleton structure, but Overgrowth takes it literally. Characters are built around certain weak-points; wounds to the neck and skull are likely to prove instantly fatal, and limbs can be broken to the point where they’re useless in a fight. There is a blood-system too: cuts and stab-wounds, whether fatal or not, cause blood to flow, trickling realistically and staining fur and armour. Combat is short, brutal and painful to the player, inducing wincing and cringing at every blow. Fighting is also reactive and very mobile, as the player generally fights alone against groups of foes, all of whom are of near-identical in terms of build and power, to the PC.
Everything about the Overgrowth project, from its Engine to the development tactics used by Wolfire, is impressive. While it is a long way from being done, we have to remember that it is an Indie game, and that much of its funding comes from pre-order purchases. It may turn out to be just another ‘one-hit-wonder’, or self-contained success, but it may just as easily help to re-kindle public interest in the genre. Overgrowth is an appealing project, regardless of its impact, and when it comes to innovation, Wolfire certainly aren’t pulling any punches.
