Spilling the beans to GoNintendo, Renegade Kid has announced their next project, Metroidvania-style action-platformer Xeodrifter, for the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Accompanying the announcement is the first entry in a nifty developers' diary by Renegade Kid's own Jools Watsham, in which he describes his sudden inspiration for the new title.
The first thing I expect many people might think is, “I thought you were working on Treasurenauts!” Yes, well, I have a confession to make. We were working on Treasurenauts – and it was progressing really well – then, one day I got a bee in my bonnet to make a [Metroidvania] game ... it started when I mocked up a 2D demake of Moon Chronicles for fun a while back. It came together much better than I expected, and I really liked how the main little space man turned out. I let that mock-up sit dormant for a few months while we finished up the real Moon Chronicles and also continued to work on Treasurenauts, but the idea of the 2D space game came back to the front of my mind one day.
Xeodrifter is the story of an interstellar drifter traveling the stars on a mission of exploration. In this particular installment of the story, we join our nomad as he embarks on the exploration of small cluster of four planets in the omega sector, after a collision with a rogue asteroid damages his warp drive. A scan of the neighboring planets reveals a number of energy signatures on the planets that may provide the special material needed to fix his warp drive and get back to cruising through the cosmos.
Jools was also quick to reassure gamers that Treasurenauts is still in development, so fans excited for that game's own brand of indie action can breathe easy. In any case, he's kindly provided a 3D screenshot of Xeodrifter that 3DS owners can scan via QR code for their viewing pleasure — check it out below!
Are you excited for Renegade Kid's newest pixelated masterpiece? Let us know in the comments!
[source gonintendo.com]
Comments 48
That's cool! I'm really liking Renegade Kid more every game they make. Hopefully they become a big company.
No release, no hype.
Why am I reminded of Minitroid?
It looks like a cute Metroid: Zero Mission.
Somehow their pixel art throws me off. It's a unique style but for the most part it's not for me. Regardless I'm willing to give these games a chance.
@TromboneGamer Same.
Wait......news at this time of the day? I'm shocked.
Renegade Kid is like the only cool company that releases 3D screenshots. I wish all companies making 3DS games would do that.
Looking forward to it already.
The whole pixel art thing is getting reeeeeally old but this actually looks cool. Gonna check it out.
So how long until the announce the Wii U version with more content?
Cool. The 3D is nice, as always.
It's getting hard to keep up with Jools these days
Also, like @Kolzig said, thanks for the QR screen. With more devs did that.
That screenshot looks pretty tight in 3D, just saying.
While it is my opinion that Renegade Kid works on one too many games at once, I will pay attention to this game.
Sounds promising. RK is a good developer, I expect good things from this.
Will they stop starting new games and just finish Treasurenauts? I don't understand their way.
And they should try another art style. Mutant Mudds, Treasurenauts and this one look too alike.
i like renegade kid's 2D platformers and all, but I think they need to ditch the pixelly retro-esque look for once. I'm usually a fan of this sort of art style, but they've kept this style for all their games to the point where it isnt very special anymore and has become a bit of a turn off for me.
So much metroidvania lately. There are other genres guys...
Give us Cult County on 3DS Renegade Kid, we needs it, a Wii U port would be welcome, too.
I really wish they'd go for horror once more, even if Dementium is not a possibility. Cult County back to 3DS-only? Metroidvania space horror? 3D/2D? Pixels? As long as it has loads of atmosphere that reminds you to move on, but not rush it, and check every corner wishing no one or nothing is hiding in it (except maybe the two bullets you need to slow down an enemy, as a last resort), and it's on Nintendo, it's all good for me. But I need more good horror games, and for DS they delivered the best.
Lovin' that screenshot. Xeodrifter you say? I'm in.
*** Just one other Renegade Kidd related point — is Mutant Mudds Deluxe ever realistically likely to release on EU territory Wii U eShops, or should I give up on that one and just get over it? ***
SOMEBODY PLEASE STOP THE 'METROIDVANIA'!!! I'M GOING INSANE HERE!! Every bob and his uncle is making another freaking 'retro', 'metroidvania' indie game... I'm so incredibly sick of those words!
I'm immediately more interested in this than Treasurenauts.
@ToniK
That's just a stupid comment imo.
To be honest, I think Renegade Kid has no idea how to organise their projects. All they seem to these days is announce a game, don't talk about it for months on end, and then announce a new game or cancel an older one. Its good that they have so many ideas, but they are worthless if they can't be implemented into finished products. If you have a presumably playable build of Treasurenauts (original release date was for Q1 of 2014), you can't just abandon the project in favour of game which hasn't even started development. And Mutant Mudds 2 was put on hold for Treasurenauts, and MM2 which was announced back in January 2013. Not to mention Moon Chronicles and the numerous titles which haven't even been released in Europe yet. Apparently the Razor scooter game is dead now according to the Go Nintendo article. Not even going to talk about Cult County.
All of these titles are all over the place, its just ridiculous. Renegade Kid is a indie developer, they simply cannot handle all of these projects. If you can't get a game out when your job is game development, you're not going to make any money and go out of business, its that simple.
RK need more actual good games out before they make more, the time spent on this and the sure to fail kick starter they had should have been spent getting Treasurenaughts out there. As is stands its hard to get hyped about this when I knew their track record.
The only thing holding my interest I'd Metroidvania otherwise I'm not to fond of any of their games. The most overrated games of any developer imo.
Metroidvania is a style that can't die, it's a genre now, like FPS, RPG (and variations), etc. What they could make is a redesigned metroidvania game in 3D (sort of like Mario 64). But for the people who played old games, any metroidvania is a very welcome game. Lets be honest, most of them are good games.
And until today there wasn't a metroidvania game with the same brilliance than Castlevania. I am really waiting for a new Castlevania game, that would be great. Or you guys don't want it ?
Aaah! I have always...well as long as I have known them, wanted a metroidvania from them.
I cannot wait, but I hope they don't hurry either.
@Bulbousaur I've been waiting for MM2 for ages... The level updates make the wait less difficult, but I haven't read anything new about MM2 for months. I don't expect it to be worth years of waiting, and it seems like RK might be putting their ideas for expanding it into the level updates, so I'm just not excited for the sequel any more. I can't get myself excited for new RK games no matter how cool they seem, since I'm afraid that all their releases might just be like this.
This and Treasureneauts do seem pretty cool, it's just that I'm not excited for them now. If RK actually release games that seem good then I'll buy them, but they aren't, so I can't.
Looks cool but what happened to Treasurenauts and Mutant Mudds 2.
I'm more excited for this than Treasurenauts.
Count me in!
@eaglebob345 Their kickstarter for Cult County(sadly) failed, so we won't see it finished for a while(if ever).
Renegade Kid (and especially Jools) have had some roadblocks, but the way they dealt with the failed Cult County Kickstarter still bothers me way too much to take them seriously right now.
I'll see if they can get their act together and do something they want to make instead of the stuff everybody seems to want, then I'll consider getting another of their games.
Ah, man. I've been waiting so long for Treasurenauts. I was hoping it would be out soon.
Still, this looks pretty fun.
I'll buy it. No question.
Looks good. I'm still eagerly awaiting Treasurenauts. I might be a little miffed about their release schedule if they hadn't continued to update MM with good, free content, years later.
Fantastic! Renegade Kid gets better with every release!
@Bulbousaur - Well said. I agree whole-heartedly.
Grew bored of Mutant Mudds, but I would love to see a MetroidVania style game with that art style!
Looks awesome! Colour me hyped!
With Two Tribes, I buy all their games and never finish them. With Renegade Kid, I see their games and never buy any of them. The demo of Mutant Mudds never convinced me of getting the game, and I haven't taken the plunge with Moon.
The way they played with 3DS owners during Cult County was not cool. As in "we don't need you" but a few days later "on second thought, we really need you guys, we have been listening to you". And now this game jumping.
@whodatninja Lots of RPGs, too.
Mutant Mudds was just too hard. No way have they playtested that game with normal people. I won't award my trust to Renegade Kid again.
Could be fun.
@Geni Its not hard just not a fair game to play.
Getting this if the game's worth it.
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