Independent developer Curve Studios announce Explodemon!, the developer’s first self-published original title for digital download.
Explodemon! is a 2.5D platform action game influenced by classic Japanese games from the golden era of the SNES. The game is based around Explodemon, an exploding hero that uses his explosive ability to combat enemies, propel himself through the air, destroy anything in his path and solve puzzles using the game’s solid physics system. Explodemon! is packaged up as a loving parody of badly translated action games and everything that they embody.
The game came into being after Curve’s Design Director, Jonathan Biddle, decided to try making his own games. “I’d been a games designer for many years, but had always wanted the ability to prototype ideas myself. I decided to learn Game Maker and started making a platform game about an exploding man. After working silently away for a few months in my spare time, I let a few people at Curve play Explodemon! and it became obvious that I’d managed to create something very fun.”
Jason Perkins, Managing Director of Curve, is enthusiastic about the title. “Due to the prototype, we’ve been in the fortunate position of having been able to play Explodemon! for a long time now. The gameplay has been honed through iterative playtesting so many times, that we are effectively now releasing Explodemon II. We’re excited to now be able to marry this solid gameplay with cutting edge 3D visuals and effects and release it via digital distribution for others to enjoy.”
Biddle continues, “Explodemon! is best described as what Treasure would create if they mixed Yoshi’s Island with Half Life 2. It includes many elements from games as diverse as Street Fighter II, Halo, Super Metroid and Bangai-O. As lifelong gamers, we’re huge fans of these titles and feel we’ve managed to bring together something that captures something from all of them. We think that there are many gamers out there like us who feel that there aren’t enough absolutely amazing action platform games on the current download services and we really can’t wait for people to see that we’ve managed to create exactly that with Explodemon!”
Explodemon! is planned for release in Q4 2009 on the PlayStation®3 via the PlayStation®Network. Subsequent versions will be released on the PC through various online portals, and for the Wii on Nintendo’s WiiWare service.