Brazilian studio Ota Imon recently lifted the lid on its turn-based mech RPG Wolfstride, a Japan-influenced genre mash-up that sports a "hyper-stylized black and white aesthetic."
Taking on the role of former Yakuza Dominique Shade, your goal is to come top in Rain City's lucrative world of mech fighting. Combat takes place in a turn-based format, with success coming from knowing the right moves, and when to use them.
Your mech can be upgraded and repaired in the downtime between bouts, during which you'll also converse with locals to take on jobs which will increase your funds and expand the game's plot.
While Ota Imon and publisher Raw Fury have been reluctant to state precisely which platforms Wolfstride is coming to, we've been told that the developer is very keen to bring the game to Switch.
Wolfstride is expected to launch in 2021. What do you make of this interesting fusion of genres?
Comments 30
Can indie devs ever move past pixel graphics? I'd actually like to see something with at least some effort put into the art style. I know it's not everything but I'm just so done with the whole "OMG so retro pixel art graphics"
Oh, great. Another one of those fake anime-wannabee styled games.
I think I'll pass.
This actually looks pretty sweet. And they're taking their time with it, gotta respect quality and transparency. Would love this game on Switch.
@Brokai Except it's not really "retro" at all. They are using minimalist designs for the characters, but high-res artwork for the battles and backgrounds. it's schizophrenic, at best.
Wow, now THIS looks fresh. Going on my Switch want list!
Looks interesting. It now depends on gameplay and story.
Played the demo, loved it. Do it!
At first was hoping for a military style grand JRPG-style adventure with mechs. First impressions aren’t too grand but will wait and see how it turns out.
I’d definitely give this a shot if it makes it to the Switch.
Love how it looks, like the pitch, sign me up.
@Brokai
Exactly me too.
@Brokai Just because you use pixel graphics doesn't mean no effort was put into the artwork. Stop being disingenuous.
@ThanosReXXX Maybe consider giving it a chance instead of giving it an immediate write-off? It looks pretty dope to me.
@MegaVel91 I know graphics aren't everything in a game, however I'm just so tired of looking at games that look like they came from a sega genesis everytime an indie dev releases a game. It's not disingenuous to say that pixel art is obviously the easiest for them to make a game around. It's just been overdone. Honestly when I watch the indie Nintendo Directs it almost feels like it's for the Super Nintendo rather than the Switch.
@Brokai EA and Ubisoft have you covered, why are you looking at indie games?
@MegaVel91 Well honestly, if it doesn't grab me or look interesting enough to get my attention, then no. And I was already disappointed when I clicked on the article link, because I was expecting a mech game, a genre I'm a real fan of, and this is just some side scrolling crap.
And as mentioned, I don't like the faux-anime style. Non Asian developers should really stop trying to copy that, because it always looks off, and you can instantly see that it's not made by actual anime artists/developers.
But having said that, I'm glad for the people that do like this. Just because it's not for me, doesn't mean that I don't want anyone else to play or like it either, so anyone else is welcome to it, far as I'm concerned.
@ThanosReXXX ...Excuse me?
Excuse the hell out of me? Faux-anime style?
Okay, I'm going be biting your head off right there. What you have just said is utter bollocks. Asian developers et al, do not, and should not, have a monopoly on what can and cannot be "anime style." What? Just because I myself draw in that style and I'm not Asian, it's suddenly some kind of fakery? Do you understand how seriously stupid that logic is? You are spewing utter nonsense.
Just because the developers are not from Asia et al doesn't mean they have to adopt an art-style that originates from their country of origin. That is some real gatekeeping bull**** right there.
I was fine with it not grabbing your interest. I'm fine with it not being your cup of tea, but I am drawing the line at gatekeeping what art style developers should use based on their country of origin. The hell outta here with that @#*$.
@MegaVel91 Hold your horses, man. I meant in games.
Much like pixel art and the "closely resembles" flash type art, anime style is WAY over-used, and to me personally, it just seems like a (cheap) way to make your game look cooler or more interesting to a certain audience, and as an ACTUAL anime fan, it's just not grabbing me, sorry.
As for the rest: no need to get angry about that either, it's just my personal opinion, and if you don't agree with that, then that's perfectly fine. As I said, if others do like or are interested in this game, then they are welcome to it, but it's just not for me.
@ThanosReXXX Where do I even start...
First, I've seen everything from Kaiji to Kill La Kill, Sailor Moon to Shugo Chara, Gundam to GaoGaiGar, Angelic Layer to Chobits, and more. What's my point?
How many of those I've mentioned, despite being manga/anime style, look typical?
The manga/anime genre of art has a whole world of variety in it. Wolfstride's art style easily fits in, even if it is a video game that doesn't make it any less valid.
-and how do you know they went for that art style simply for free cool points or not anyway?
None of what you said makes any sense.
@MegaVel91 That's your opinion, and that too is fine. We don't have to agree, but I'm sticking with mine. If you want to continue to be bothered by someone else's opinion, then have at it, but I'd like to do something more useful with my precious time and energy than having a rather useless discussion.
@nesrocks Because in all the piles of shovelware there are usually one or two gems. Also EA and Ubisoft are god awful. "Please pay 2.99 for a weapon skin" No thanks
I'm not sure I even understand what the game is from the description and trailer 😅 I tend to love mechs and turn-based combat but I'm not sure I could stare at a monochrome game for very long. Even if there were just a single pop of color like how some art styles just use color for blood or eyes or just to draw your attention to a single important thing. I tend to gravitate to bold unrealistic color like toon shaders and whatnot. Regardless, I'm still interested if the gameplay is truly unique, or fun blend of genres.
@ThanosReXXX There are side-scrolling bonus missions in-between battles where you can earn money, but the core of the game is the turn-based mech battles.
@Damo Ah, I see. Any more info or pictures of that? It sounds a bit better, but I'm still not feeling the mech game that I was kind of expecting.
@ThanosReXXX Two of the screens above show the mech battles, and there's a lot of footage in the trailer showing it too
@Damo I've watched that trailer, and there isn't really "a lot" of footage. Would also be quite impossible with it being as short as it is. And I'm not seeing any mech battle or mech gameplay, just stylized, almost card-based interchanging screens of characters supposedly hitting something.
Again, that's NOT what I expected, when I saw the title of this article on the front page, so I guess this one's just not for me.
@ThanosReXXX It shows turn-based mech combat - this isn't a real-time gig, it's very much 'you do your move, I'll do mine'
@Damo I already got that, and I'm perfectly fine with turn-based combat, but what I'm not liking is never seeing any ACTUAL combat. You just see one mech doing some kind of attack, and then the screen flips to the other mech to see the effect of that attack. I never get the sense of two mechs actually fighting, because they're not on screen at the same time.
Even Pokémon Stadium on the N64 did a far better job with that than this much newer effort. Another good option would have been to go for an Advance Wars split screen attack sequence. So, yeah, like I said: not for me...
@ThanosReXXX Ah, I see. I think, given that many RPGs employ a similar system, we may not actually see them fighting at the same time - but like you say, there's not much footage there (and the game is still in development) so that may change in the final release.
@Damo Guess we'll have to wait and see, then.
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