Spartan Fist, the upcoming first-person melee brawler from Hot Tin Roof studio Glass Bottom Games, has the kind of succinct description that I really like: "Punch dudes, get paid." The game stars Emma Jones, the heroine of Hot Tin Roof and Jones on Fire, as a down-on-her-luck detective who's earning her keep by punching people really hard—so hard, they literally explode.
"Landing in an arena that’s different each time you play, you’ll navigate your way through a whimsically gritty and colorfully pixelated world while fighting your way to the top. Find different fist upgrades that can change your abilities, and enjoy the visceral satisfaction of punching your enemies," the studio said. "Spartan Fist juxtaposes gory violence with punky vibrant voxel characters to cultivate a feeling of ultimate punching satisfaction."
The developers also said they wanted to make a new game "that built upon the universe and characters they've previously created," which initially struck me as a little odd given that the universe in question is comprised entirely of a quirky endless runner and a quirky noir-Metroidvania, both of which prominently feature an excess of cats. (And both of which I really like, for the record.) But studio founder Megan Fox said that there is a method to the madness.
"There is [a reason for maintaining continuity], but that delves into spoilers for Spartan Fist. Suffices to say, it all gets a bit wibbly wobbly timey wimey, and that we don't just shrug off certain roguelike conceits you're normally meant to shrug off. There are also hooks to that effect embedded in both prior games that, I think, no one's really looked too closely at yet," she explained. "So, yep. It's all connected. As to how, well... you'll see. It's the sort of plot you'll have to go digging for, to piece it together. We want it to be something that's there if you want it, but easy to skip if you just want to punch some dudes so hard they explode."
Spartan Fist isn't slated to come out until sometime in 2018, but you can sign up for the mailing list at spartanfist.com, and check out some screens below.
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