Bunny brawler Overgrowth adds Lugaru's campaign
Thumpers
The kung fu rabbits of Overgrowth [official site] have been around in a playable form since I was a small and ancient protozoa, so I won’t accept the game’s sudden switch from “alpha” to “beta” as news. But I will take notice when told that the story campaign of its predecessor, Lugaru, has been adapted into the fisticuffs framework of the sequel, meaning there should now be something to do in the game besides biffing anthropomorphic wolves in the skull until they fly across the map in ragdoll pain.
The update adding the remade Lugaru campaign actually happened last month when we weren’t looking, accompanied by some other changes to the fighting, like the ability to pull a knife back out of the animal you’ve just thrown it at (ow). Anyway, here’s a little trailer to accompany the update.
I’ve long admired the kicks, punches, and gut-piercing spear throws of these aggressive lagomorphs but with its long development time and few concrete levels or features, it has always looked a little undernourished. A gorgeous and technically impressive toy but lacking a greater reason. Now it might be time for a quick dip. Here’s some of the things it says on the back of the box.
- Fully re-imagined Lugaru campaign story mode in the Phoenix engine
- Local multiplayer if you have a keyboard mouse and a controller, or 2 controllers
- Gameplay-enhancing use of ragdoll physics, with skeletal impacts and damage simulation
- Enemy AI that adapts to your attacks, and group combat behavior that rewards choosing a stealth approach, or skillfully taking on a few at a time...
...and then there’s some other boring bullet points about rendering and decals. But there’s also a level editor for making your own arenas for hopping about in, and the one man developer (this is why it is taking years) David Rosen recently told PC Gamer that he plans to add the sequel’s own campaign in the next few months. We'll keep our big floppy ears close to the ground and tell you when that happens.