Update: Fri 20th May, 2022 17:30 BST: After just 3 days, the Antonblast Kickstarter has been successfully funded, with the campaign reaching $77,116.77 of its $75,000 target at the time of writing. That means the game will be Switch-bound at some point in 2023 - congrats to the team!
Developer Summitsphere will no doubt be eyeing up the stretch goals now, the first of which being a new playable character called Annie and a Time Attack mode at the $100,000 goal. At $125,000, the game will get an additional 3 worlds to explore, so here's hoping the campaign keeps trucking for the next 32 days!
Original Article: Tue 17th May, 2022 15:00 BST:
It's been nearly 14 ruddy years since we last got a proper Wario Land game. Of course, the WarioWare series is fantastic too, and we'd love to see it continue to thrive, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't miss the classic platforming gameplay of the core Wario Land series.
While Nintendo doesn't seem to be in any rush to make a new entry to the series, a new project launching on Kickstarter today might just look like the perfect alternative. Developed by Summitsphere, Antonblast is an over-the-top platformer with authentic Game Boy Advance aesthetics, taking inspiration from a wide range of games such as Wario Land 4, Metroid Dread, Cuphead, Shovel Knight, Sonic CD, and Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back.
The developer is looking to raise $75,000 to fully fund the project. Backers can pledge $15 to bag a digital copy of the game, plus any potential future DLC included. Tiers go all the way up to £10,000 for those who might be really confident in the project.
Here's some info on the game from Summitsphere:
- Nine unique sprawling worlds with tons to explore!
- Destructive action and explosive escapes!
- Dynamic play style — rush to the end or explore at your own pace!
- Silky-smooth platforming gameplay with best-in-class controls!
- Breathtaking hand-drawn animation à la Earthworm Jim and Cuphead!
- Brutal earthshaking bosses!
- A groovy retro-flavored dynamic soundtrack!
- Loads of replay value: Hard Mode, Boss Rush, and more!
Provided the Kickstarter reaches its intended goal, Antonblast will release in 2023 on Nintendo Switch and Steam. Stretch goals are in place to accommodate release on PlayStation and Xbox, but this will depend on overall performance.
What do you think of Antonblast? Does it look like the Wario Land spiritual successor you've been hoping for? Let us know!
[source kickstarter.com]
Comments (51)
Definitely got a Mutant Mudds / WarioLand vibe from this. Not sure the sexual innuendo at the start is completely necessary and detracts from an otherwise great trailer.
Too bad I don't have a credit card (we don't really use them here in the Netherlands) So I can't back it.
Pizza Tower has some competition in town
Good looking game & art style. Even though I'm over 2d pixel art games, this one looks compelling.
@Kiz3000 Seems it's a reference to their previous game.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1382320/Antonball_Deluxe/
Interesting, me like.
Looks fun. I like that spinning hammer attack. Reminds me of one of Zero's moves in Megaman X4.
The colour palette is dreadful, main character looks like a cross between Wario and Bluto.
Wow! Looks and sounds fantastic!
Just played the demo, the moveset is really fun to execute. Maybe they could find a different button combo to do the bouncy move but I really enjoyed it enough to back it.
Well at least they credited Earthworm Jim for stealing their pipes. Couldn't really care less about yet ANOTHER retro pixel game though
While the game looks cool, but the lack of originality with these indie games they are usually so obvious with their inspirations..gameplay..style... Why not make something completely original like dead cells or katana zero
Looks amazing! And that distorted laugh at the end, Warioland 4 style lol!
Nintendo doesn't have the balls (hah!) to make a new Warioland. They rather release another Splatoon, another Pokemon, another Xenoblade, ports, etc, etc. Mmm, I think I'll go for this instead.
Looks quite fun, and I'm always up for a new Wario Land type game, but I'm not huge on the art design, especially the main character who looks a bit of a mess.
Wanna know what's scary, and dangerous, for companies to do games that damn near copy a huge major franchise like this?
Nintendo can easily as much just port WarioLand Shake It tomorrow and the whole idea would be stomped.
Looks great though, here is hoping more differences come up to set it apart.
@Kiz3000 that's not sexual innuendo. It's referring to the Anton game that already exists, which is essentially warioland mixed with pong, or arkanoid. So that's what it's referring to, people have been "playing with their balls" i.e. hitting the balls in the previous Anton game called Antonball Deluxe
Do you understand now? It's not talking about testicle, it's just referring to the popular first game in the Anton series of games.
Wario Land Shake Dimension. Loved that game on the wii. Also loved the other Wario Lands. Will need a review for this but looks the part.
People who don't know there's apparently another game in this series will immediately assume it's a crude sexual reference at the trailer beggining. To be honest, that's what I thought, because I didn't previously know there was another game in this series. I'm sure the reference was intentional as a double entendre, and that's low class.
The game itself does indeed look like WarioLand. However, indie games are not always great. Some are mediocre, while others are poor quality efforts. A lot of indie titles are just one-offs, as opposed to a series.
This title's character looks awkward.
This looks like one of those games whose main inspiration has come from...other video games. Looks to have studied the source material very well, but does nothing for me, I'm afraid.
@AnorakJimi I mean... It can still be (and still is) a sexual innuendo. It's quite literally a double entendre. I get what they were trying to do, but especially given that the majority of people have no idea about the first game, it falls kind of flat. Even knowing the context I have to agree with @Kiz3000 in that it creates a rather jarring opening to an otherwise excellent advsertisement.
They say inspiration from Wario Land 4, but I think they just don't want to say it was inspired by Wario Land Shake it since people didn't like it as much. A chase section at the end is almost carbon copy.
In theory the idea is appealing, but the main character doesn't really have any charm for me, and I feel like they could've expanded on Wario Land's ideas more.
I might invest $20 and get a copy from that, but I'm afraid to because if Nintendo releases a new or port of Wario Land, or anything similar, it will destroy the game.
@XBontendo - Yeah, but it seems to go with the angle they started with the original game, which also did the exact same innuendo.
Antonblast seems to look like a mix between Virtual Boy Wario Land and Wario Land 4. I never had the pleasure to play VB Wario Land, so Antonblast looks as though it will be just as good, if not better. I just wish we didn't have to wait until 2023 to play it.
Shovel knight treasure trove always felt like a Wario Land game to me.
This looks like quality. Does Kickstarter still not accept debit cards? I would back this for sure if it does.
@Paraka that's too bad
I hope this gets the support it needs. Im getting this day 1 of release!
@XBontendo - Well, if they're inclined to do it twice, obviously whoever is buying them doesn't see it your way. Must be their hook.
Played the demo, and thought it was fantastic.
This definitely has my support, I'll be impressed if they can deliver a whole game with level design as well executed as this one sample.
@AnorakJimi Can’t it be both?
In all seriousness, I think it looks kick-ass, but I was hoping it was more like Warioland 3 (use enemy curses against them) than 4. Still Backing it though.
Looks like it belongs on the 3DS with going between the foreground and background (obviously not going to happen). Am still interested even though the art style doesn't appeal to me personally.
"Anton Time" doesn't have the same ring as "Wario Time," but nevertheless, consider my interest piqued!
@ParadoxFawkes the idea that katana zero is wholly original is hilarious
Is this the second Anton game? I remember seeing Anton Ball in the first NintendoLife Indie spotlight
how dare Summitsphere make a game that doesn't appeal to the specific tastes of @Wurstsemmel753, the ONLY voice that matters in gaming
@Expa0
It accepted mine
@Paraka Funny that you say this when Nintendo got their start in video games by making Pong and Space Invaders clones
@tstorm - Are they known for their Pong and Space Invaders?
Kind of my point.
@steventonysmith
Thanks. Yeah, it seems they've fixed that at some point. I'm still sad I couldn't back eiyuden chronicles when that was a thing.
@somebread what's it based off?
@Wurstsemmel753 No, not really, it's fine to not be interested in a game, but when you phrase your disinterest with "I didn't beg for this," what that means to me is that you think developers should make games ONLY for you.
@Wurstsemmel753 didn't seem like much of a play on the headline to me, but that's on me for reading too deep into things
The whole Hatch Tales nonsense has put me off backing anything on Kickstarter!
They crammed so many elements ripped straight out of Wario Land games into this one trailer. But there hasn't been a real Wario Land in so long, I really can't complain.
@Dr_Corndog Maybe this will kick Nintendo in the butt to make one
@Olliemar28 As soon as I saw the thumbnail I thought, "YT content creator The Completionist is going to sue for using his likeness without permission, isn't he?" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPYJR2EIu0_MJaDeSGwkIVw
So cool to see fans make the sequels they want to see! The Game Boy Advance is home to such amazing sprite work that this can be authentic while still looking great.
The character design is kind of ugly, but it is meant to be a spin on Wario. Wario is kind of an ugly, unconventional design that we like for his expressiveness and our familiarity with him. I could see myself getting used to how Anton looks and appreciating him more.
Looks like a character I wouldn't mind painting.
@Paraka Whether Nintendo puts out an old Wario Ware game that a lot of people have already played or they put out something new, it really makes no difference. They won't be the same game as this. Shake it is old, I want to play something I haven't played before, and I'd pick up any new Wario Land games but they won't play like this, and they'll likely cost 3 times as much. And those are finite games, you get to the end and that's it, there's nothing wrong with having more games like that to play because you won't be playing Wario Land forever.
@Nintendo_Thumb - That's not what I am saying at all. And your stance is more anecdotal.
There is many games that tried filling in shoes of older, more demanded franchises. So much to a point that older games often be one the "settle." Yooka-Laylee, in spite of its mixed reception, made more of Rareware Collection sell more. Why play the theoretical "knock-off" when the real deal is readily available.
Wario Land has been absent for so long, that even though this game feels to fill the void, Nintendo could easily just do a port of Shake It and it can essentially take Anton out by the knees. That was my point I was making.
But will he make a better Wario than Elon Musk on SNL?
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