"Jump up, jump up and get down."

Maximilian and the Rise of the Mutant Mudds, Renegade Kid's platformer title has had a bit of a rough ride since its announcement back in 2009.

Originally planned as a DS game, MUDDS was then looking for a digital release due to a lack of publisher willing to go through with a retail release. Now it seems things are on the up as the game will be launching digitally, but not via the DSi Shop as the studio had once hoped.

The latest issue of Nintendo Power reveals the game is now known simply as Mutant Mudds. As reported by Handheld Gaming Blog, the game will be self-published and launching on the eShop sometime this year, and perhaps equally as important is the slight change in genre. Instead of a 3D platformer, Mutant Mudds will now be sporting the 2D side-scrolling look. Once Renegade Kid found out about the 3DS, the studio took what had already been developed and reworked it for Nintendo's new hardware instead.

Although the game now looks aesthetically different, the premise is still the same: Max, equipped with his water cannon and water-powered jet pack must take on monsters that emerge from the ground. The main objective will be to find and collect Water Sprites and besides unlocking new levels, they will also be instrumental in taking down the Mutant Mudds.

Players will be able to move between the foreground and background, exploring various environments. Wondering what sort of environments? Renegade Kid co-founder Jools Watsham lists: "a dark, wintery land; a fiery temple; a space cosmos; and a fluffy cloudville" as just a few examples. As well as power-ups and secrets, gamers will be treated to downloadable content through the 3DS's SpotPass feature.

Mutant Mudds will not be a game that requires long periods of play, instead, Renegade Kid has designed the game to be perfect for on-the-go gamers. If a few minutes is all you have, that's fine as far as the game is concerned.

Speaking on Twitter, one of Watsham's followers asked whether the game will be released worldwide, to which he replied, "At least US and Europe, hopefully."

[source handheldgamingblog.com]