The creator of one of many world’s largest animated sequence is releasing an all-new videogame set in a world the place weapons can speak and darkish, weird comedy thrives.
Justin Roiland, the co-creator of Rick and Morty and CEO of Squanch Games, is moments away from releasing his subsequent massive venture, a recreation referred to as High on Life.
It’s actually a novel idea: the principle character, contemporary out of highschool, lands in a scenario the place an alien drug cartel is abducting people and utilizing them to “get high” (sure, you learn that proper).
You, as the principle character, should be taught to turn into a fearless bounty hunter, rescue a troop of “mouthy” weapons and save the human race.
9News.com.au sat down with the crew at Squanch Games, Roiland and lead designer Erich Meyr, to be taught all about their upcoming journey shooter.
An thought years within the making, Roiland says he was satisfied another person would create the idea of “talking guns” earlier than him.
“I was like, someone’s gonna do this idea. Like, before we finish this game, I kept thinking that was gonna happen,” he advised 9News.com.au.
“As a game, we kind of have some Metroidvania-like ‘lock and key’ and kind of just levelling up your traversal abilities and your weapons and just the stuff that you get,” mentioned Roiland, evaluating the gameplay to a variation of the Legend of Zelda.
Roiland is not any stranger to writing comedy; with Rick and Morty closing in on its tenth anniversary, the sport options jokes that encourage gamers to set off the punchline, which might result in quite a few outcomes.
“I don’t think I’ve had a single, like, experience that is as big as this, for sure … It’s like a TV show that people can reach into and knock things around,” Roiland mentioned.
“A lot of it is just funny premises, characters, like, funny concepts that you come across. And then there are certain things where it’s like, oh man, how do we get to the punch line?
“We attempt to give the participant the choice to only preserve transferring. If they wish to hang around and listen to some loopy stuff they will, in the event that they wish to preserve speaking to an NPC they will. But for probably the most half, you may type of simply preserve going.”
“There’s tonnes of simply little environmental jokes and stuff too. Our crew went nuts, similar to including particulars and all over the place,” Meyr added.
Roiland says they know that not every joke is going to “hit” with some players, but if someone wants to continue on through and just enjoy a different aspect of the game, they won’t hold it against them.
“If any individual desires to only preserve ripping by means of they will simply miss the joke, which is completely superb,” he said.
Roiland’s love for the weird and whacky led him to launch Squanch Games in 2016 and since then has released four titles, including a Ricky and Morty VR game and more recently Trover.
Early gameplay previews have introduced a special pointy character with an Australian flair.
“Knifey is the large one. It was loopy after we first like introduced the sport how massive the response was to this character. Like, oh s—, you by no means know,” Roiland said while laughing.
“We knew Knifey was humorous, however after we first made him we did not suppose, like, this might be the joke, you recognize?” Meyr added.
The voice behind the murderous large knife, as well as a few other characters in High on Life, is Aussie animator and voice artist Michael Cusack (YOLO, Koala Man).
Meyr says the average player could finish the main story in about 10 hours, 20 if you’re completing all of the side quests – but if you’re really along for the ride, the game features four feature films.
“You may sit and watch full-length films in the home if you wish to,” Meyr said.
“We made a bunch of shorts, you recognize, like interdimensional cable type, like bizarre little comedy sketches and stuff after which we licensed 4 complete films,” Roiland added.
Roiland and Meyr likened the films to Grand Theft Auto‘s radio system, as you go to and from your home base you’ll see a new moment playing on the in-game TV.
Roiland says the team at Squanch worked closely with Xbox, who have been “fairly cool” about the development and how far they can take the jokes.
“I imply, truthfully, we’ve got our personal form of line, you recognize, like our personal inside line that we would not cross,” he said.
“It’s the identical factor on Rick and Morty and Solar (Solar Opposites). There’s a option to do it, the place you may inform tales, and you’ll be edgy or no matter, you wish to name it juvenile in some circumstances, and there is a option to do it, proper,” Roiland explained.
The game is coming to Xbox Game Pass on December 13 for Xbox and PC.
Roiland and Meyr say they’re both very proud of what the team at Squanch Games has achieved with this new game.
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“The dream is that this does properly sufficient that we will preserve making bull—- and simply see what, you recognize, see the place we go from right here,” Roiland mentioned.
