Protagonist Emma Jones returns in digital form, this time dropping the firefighting gig for the role of a private investigator on the trail of a serial killer. This time she’s joined by Francine, the eponymous cat with the stylish hat. Players will take control of the duo in a side-scrolling 3D platformer with plenty of noir styling. I had a chance to play an early demo and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere conveyed through the jazzy music and dialogue.

Lest you be afraid that the game is nothing more than a mere exercise in running and jumping, players will need to explore the city, questioning oddball characters along the way to find new clues. Dialogue trees provide both a source of humor as well as useful information. There’s also a Metroidvania influence with powerups discovered for Emma’s revolvers including knockback and grappling abilities. These upgrades allow access to new areas to help further the plot along.

Part platformer, part adventure game, explore a seedy city to catch a killer.

Glass Bottom Games has spent five months putting together a demo, and estimates that it will take another six or so to complete the game. In order to do so, they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $20k. Much of that money is going towards art/audio assets and Kickstarter, but you can get a full breakdown on the campaign page. One Hamilton ($10) nets gamers a copy of the game when it releases, which is a bit of a bargain since it will launch at 15 bucks. Other tiered rewards include early access, digital and physical coffee table books, and the opportunity to get yourself a story into the game.

Check out the trailer below, then head on over to the Kickstarter page or the Hot Tin Roof official website for more info. Glass Bottom Games will be at PAX with the demo, so give it a try if you’re at the convention.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Dusty Revenge is the story of Dusty, a rabbit whose only loved one was murdered in a house fire. As expected from the title, Dusty decided to go out and get revenge on those who killed his girlfriend. Heading off into the nearest town, the player finds Dusty immediately being attacked by rats, bulls, and other animals all seeking to kill him off. Dusty, at his disposal, has light attacks in the forms of kicks and punches, strong attacks in the form of a huge scythe, and ranged attacks in the form of dual pistols and a shotgun.

From the start, I felt the combat held potential. The number of possible attack combinations was great and varied, the different enemy types made fighting a challenge and forced you to think, and the game even featured a progression system where you could level up to unlock new combinations for killing off your enemies. However, I felt that the actual execution of the combat was lacking. Controls, at times, were unresponsive, the dodging and blocking mechanics seemed useless, and I often felt like it wasn’t my fault when I couldn’t get out of an enemy deathtrap. For the type of game it was intending to be, the combat felt too slow.

As you progress through the game, you continuously move to the right, as in most sidescrollers, and platform across obstacles. The game allows you to double jump and, on holding down the jump key, use Dusty’s ears as a parachute to glide a decent distance for those long jumps.

The art direction in the game, while visually appealing, added another problem. The level art for all of the platforms and obstacles often felt misleading. I found that I often missed a platform or couldn’t climb up onto another box because their size didn’t adequately match their hit zones. While this didn’t ruin the game for me, it did make progression a bit more annoying.

During the first couple of chapters, Dusty winds up teaming up with two different characters. Rondel, a huge bear packing heavy artillery, can help Dusty with enemies and obstacles by firing rockets into combat and at anything blocking Dusty’s path. McCoy, a dog with a sniper rifle, helps Dusty pick off enemy snipers out of his reach and finish off the enemies he beats into submission. The two characters add an interesting mechanic to the game of calling in allies mid-combat to progress. This ability adds a level of gameplay onto the main combat system which gives a welcome break from the monotony of just beating up foes repeatedly. This was one mechanic I feel they pulled off well.

What annoyed me the most in the game were the story and the characters. I felt nothing for any of the characters. I felt no sympathy, no love, and certainly didn’t feel that I knew them enough to care if they failed or succeeded. Dusty’s voice acting in all of the cutscenes felt dry and emotionless. I didn’t feel his anger, I didn’t feel his lust for revenge. All I felt was a hollow shell of a character that could have been so much more, and his two companions that I knew even less about, act as vessels for me to progress through the game.

Overall, the game has potential and looks great, but it could have been so much more. My experience with the game felt grating, and I often put the game aside for great deals of time. I don’t recommend it.

Overall Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

What does this score mean?

This game was reviewed using a copy provided by the developer for that purpose. It was played on a Windows PC.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.