By Alec Meer on October 1st, 2008 at 11:57 am.
We haven’t looked in on Flashbang Studios’ next slice of high-concept silliness for a while, so I’m overjoyed to discover (via former Future colleague Alex Cox) that there’s a new-ish video of its plate-trashing hilarity. This brings out the stupid in me in all the best ways:
Minotaur China Shop (Alpha) from Matthew Wegner on Vimeo
And whistling! There is not enough whistling in PC games.
Ahh whistling, that was easily the best part of Mario Kart Double Dash, there really does need to be more whistling in almost every kind of game, ever.
Hmm Doom with added whistling…
report
This makes me happy but I’m not sure why.
report
It’s not much of a rampage, is it? More a gentle amble.
Also, where is the game?
report
lolwhut?
report
I like the looks of this, but I’m not sure at all that I understand the game.
report
Okay, here’s a play-by-play. Our hero is walking away from the counter, when a customer walks in, and asks for a plate. The plate to take to the customer lights up in green. The player makes a turn for the plate, but, the minotaur being a less-than-graceful type, he swings wide and takes out a vase.
Breaking a valuable vase pisses the minotaur off. In a fit of rage, he rips down the display cases of precious china. Seeing his precious wares being smashed, makes him very angry, and he’s seeing red.
The player tries to save it by pointing the minotaur to the open space and hoping that he cools down in time. It almost works. But then the minotaur bumps into another counter, and this time it’s a one-way ticket to Strokesville.
report
So your goal is to get the Minotaur to NOT smash everything? That’s not what I was hoping for.
I love the concept, but I hate the animation.
report
I don’t know about that. That lurching, jerky action does perfectly portray the fine line between uncontrollable rage and attempting to fulfil your role as the ill-advised proprietor of a crockery establishment.
report
I love the music. But it’s a “what the hell?” for everything else.
report
Not sure I’m too keen on the effect for seeing red, could do with more of a veiny red eye effect rather than the wierd sort of random red/brownish haze that appears at the moment.
report
Heh, I agree with Larington, but still, it’s a lovely touch!
I absolutely cannot wait for this game. Been tracking it for ages. I can’t wait to smash me some plates!
report
In answer to the mystified people: It seemed perfectly clear to me that the aim of the game is to break as much stuff as possible before you get so angry – rage being broadly indicated by the redness and blurriness of your view of the world, and strangely precisely indicated by a number at the top of the screen – that you stroke out and die.
I remember reading that Spanish bullfight bulls are like this – bred with such high blood pressure that they’re likely to be pretty much blind by the time that bastard in the frilly suit finally stabs them to death. Though that might be PETA propaganda for all I know.
(I base this interpretation of the game only on my womanly intuition, not any actual research.)
report
So here’s the story:
In the game, you can earn money by either serving customers or by destroying china (so long as you’re sufficiently enraged for your rage insurance policy coverage). The game lasts for 5 store days, with an opportunity to upgrade stats and buy new moves between days. The larger game structure is simply score optimization.
If you rage too hard for too long, though, the insurance company will call in the authorities to take care of you. Customers will leave, too; most Moosotaurs, Pegasusotaurs, and Unicornotaurs are skittish around raging Minotaurs. It’s a hard line of work to be in.
report
@Matthew :
Ahah, that sounds great to me :D Can’t wait to try that one !
report
It looks great, especially the minotaur animation. I cant wait to wreck half the shop then pick up the one plate that isnt broken and give it to the customer.
report
This will go down the same road as Jetpack Brontosaurus: amazing concept, beautiful execution but not much of a game at the end of the day…
report
@Matthew: The first thing I said after reading your post was “That’s so cool.” Out loud.
I’m off to blog that story =D
report
Whistling? Remember Megaman 3?
report