Henry Hatsworth Dev's Next Game: Project Monster
After creating the amazing Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, developers Peter Ong and Ryan Pijai broke off to create their own game studio: DreamRift. For those that haven't played Henry Hatsworth, the game seamlessly combined Mega Man-esque action platforming sensibilities with a puzzle game on the touch screen for powering your character. With a history of such excellent genre blending, it's a gross understatement to say that I was eager to discover what the developer's next game would be.
DreamRift has revealed its new game to be yet another DS genre mash-up with Project Monster. Project Monster puts players in control of Ellie, a girl who can "kick some major butt" and fight through a side-scrolling adventure on the top screen Metroidvania style. On the bottom screen is Ellie's pet monster, adding a Pokemon element to the game as she trains the creature with items found on the adventure. Ellie can also call the monster up to the top screen to use abilities ranging from shields and projectiles to jumping on it like a trampoline to get to new areas. As Peter Ong explains the monster training aspect:
You have direct influence of how your pet grows based on what food, toys, equipment, and items to give to him, as well as how the pet is used throughout gameplay. For example, your pet will grow differently based on how you use its abilities, which forms you use, which screen it lives on most, what types of enemies it encounters, and many other choices.
The blend of Metroidvania and monster training is a promising premise for a new game, and if anyone can pull the combination off it would be creative minds of DreamRift. DreamRift doesn't have a publisher yet for the game, but expects to release Project Monster sometime in the second half of 2010.
World Debut: Project Monster [IGN]
NaviFairy
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 10 November 2009
· Comments (1)
I feel like Henry Hatsworth was such a missed opportunity.
The gameplay and presentation blew my mind. But why did they have to make the game so mindbreakingly difficult?