Kickstarter Project of the Week: DoubleShake
For this week’s Switch Kickstarter Project of the Week, we will be looking at Rightstick Studio’s DoubleShake. The game is slated to release in June 2021 on PC/Linux (via Steam and itch.io) and Nintendo Switch.
Here’s the overview:
DoubleShake is our love letter to our favorite PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64 games that we grew up with, such as “Mischief Makers”, “Tomba!”*, and “Klonoa”. Our goal is to utilize modern technology, techniques. and game design to “shake up” this nostalgic aesthetic.
Our heroine, Loam, is just chillin’ on the beach when —
[BOOM]Loam goes to investigate the catastrophe, but along the way she grapples with an unsettling crew of bandits known as The Agents of Chaos, who are up to no good. It’s up to her to bring peace and serenity back to Caliko Archipelago.
But will she succeed, or will her actions throw her home into MORE chaos…?
Features
- GRAB just about anything not nailed down to the floor, including enemies! Carry small objects around or attach to Grapple Orbs to navigate tricky terrain!
- THROW things to clear the way! Throw carry-able things forward, up, down, and all around to solve puzzles, defeat foes, and destroy obstacles!
- SHAKE up the scene! Give your enemies a jostle, activate held objects, shake off their loose valuables, swing massive weapons, shoot guns, various other things that are too spoiler-y to mention here, and when you’re not holding anything, shake your money maker to taunt enemies!
- KICK the heck out of everything to disarm enemies and ricochet off of various objects and walls. Your kick doesn’t deal enough damage to anything not in shambles, but it still has great knock-back and can stun foes.
- NAVIGATE winding, twisting, branching, bobbing, flowing, changing, turning, rotating 2.5D-style paths throughout scenic vistas ranging from quaint fishing villages, volcanic mountainsides, haunted vineyards, and… an entire fusillade of in-flight missiles!? Paths can converge and split at crossroads, or Super Jump Pads can let you quickly transfer to faraway points! Also, as the game progresses, the levels become more and more puzzle and exploration-focused.
- DISCOVER a ton of secrets, items, alternate paths, and ability upgrades scattered and tucked away in the deepest darkest corners of the levels! Eat Golden Peppers to increase your max health and find ability upgrades!
- ENCOUNTER a band of nasty ne’er-do-wells (and the occasional dangerous wildlife), including several bosses! Utilize your grab and kick mechanics to turn their attacks and projectiles into counter-attacks, take them down and overthrow their evil plans!
- ROCK OUT to an amazing soundtrack filled with sick beats and chill tunes, performed by Freen in Green and their fantastic guest musician friends, AmpRen, Tony Caline, and Wolfblur! While taking some inspiration from our source games, our soundtrack is also very inspired by the energy of “Sonic the Hedgehog” games.
Rightstick Studios says DoubleShake is still very early in development and boy, are they not kidding. However, what’s underneath the bugginess is a diamond in the rough, with a lot of promise going for it. DoubleShake clearly is that love letter to PS1/N64 that they say it is, with clear inspiration from cult classics, such as Klonoa and Mischief Makers (with perhaps a little bit of Shantae to cap it all off). The use of depth is wonderful and if Rightstick Studios can take their time in order to put forth a smooth gameplay experience that is perhaps a little easier on the eyes, this may well be something special to look forward to.
This game required US$9,000 and it is currently sitting at US$9,873 after 273 backers with 25 days remaining. If you’d like to support the development of this game to help it come to Nintendo Switch, click the link below to visit the Kickstarter page.
Thank you to our $5 and up Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:
- Andrew Caluzzi (Inca Studios / Camped Out!)
- Belinda Cubitt
- Jon Crispe
- Matthew Sandstrom