PEGBRJE: ReBop Blasters and Fossil Hunters
Multiplayer Brawling and Co-operative Explorational Nonsense
ReBop Blasters EX Pre Alpha Not Final At All Edition (I just really wanted to type that whole name out, ok) is the demo for a 2D sidescrolling arena brawler by Sean Dick, who has worked on a dozen or so titles thus far. In this game, players play as neon coloured figures with the hopes and dreams of knocking the ever loving life out of their opponents so that they fly off stage similar to Super Smash Brothers. Players can jump, charge a punch to turn it into a dash and fire off a Kamehameha if they charge their special long enough to turn it into thus. What sets this title apart is that there really isn’t any ‘sound design’ in the traditional aspect; no, every sound effect is a jazz instrument set to the player’s different inputs to create a bizarre soundtrack and sound effect chain for the listening ‘pleasure’ of all.
The game Rebop Blasters is attempting to create is obvious as soon as players boot in — fuse together Smash Bros and Dragon Ball Z. Players have relatively fluid movements, all having the same movesets, and can just flying all around thanks to the rocket punching one can do. Shielding is possible if timed correctly, but I just had more fun constantly punching things if I’m honest. The bar above player’s heads is not their health or stamina in the SSB sense, but a charge meter for specials to turn the little ball of lightning into a stream torrent of Kamehameha at anyone. It can be played solo, as I did, with CPUs to punch one in the face as soon as they spawn, but I can see this best played with 5–6 other friends that just want to watch colours explode and survive within the chaos that this game creates, and it isn’t just created by the gameplay.
The sound design of Rebop Blasters is by far the most intriguing part to me. When I first read the advertisement of the soundtrack being ‘created by the players’ I thought it meant that the players had crafted sound tracks earlier, or even that how moves somehow string together with sounds. Instead, every move is tied to a certain jazz instrument hit, usually a trumpet that fluctuates in tonality based on the move that the player is doing. Performing a quick jab, players get a quick trumpet jab to accompany it. Doing that sweet Kamehameha? That trumpet player is going to hold that note the entire time. Now there are times when there is a ‘backing’ track to this ongoing music performance, with times being a bass guitar and others being a lounge keyboard to add to the atmosphere. The question many may ask, however, is this: does it even work? Well… Yes? I’d say so. It certainly had me giggling the entire time as I kept punching the air or dashing to just hear the different tonality that I could get, and the fact that it gets layered with every other play is a masterpiece in chaos. However, I can see this not appealing to some due to the sheer volume it can reach, which I have to admit did become a tad much at times.
Rebop Blasters is an experiment in the making, one that wishes to see just how absurd a Dragon Ball Bros game could be with a jazz track that takes the absurdity of jazz and adds just another layer of confusion. It’s a lot of fun to just punch players around on it’s own without the sound design, but for me the sounds are what make it special and intriguing. I look forward to see where this demo goes in the future, and if you are interested in seeing this explosion of sound continue forward I’d suggest following it. If you’re just looking for a good smash bro’s alternative, then Rebop also covers that basis for its simplicity and over-the-top action.
Fossil Hunters is a collecting adventure by Reptoid Games, an indie studio out of Toronto originating with Simon Paquette and Ryan Miller. Players pick to play as 1 of 4 fresh fossil hunters arriving on the scene of a mysterious dig site that is seemingly set up, but nobody is around. After receiving a radio signal from a fossil collector and broker with many clients, players delve into the abandoned cave network to find and create fossils of dinosaurs never before seen, while avoiding bizarre darkness monsters and possible traps. There’s also that mystery about the others who came before them, if players are so inclined.
Fossil Hunters is, at it’s core, a game of action and resource management, digging through dirt walls to uncover fossils that are hidden within. These fossils are then used to create full skeletons at the request of that radio broker on the surface, who gives gems as rewards for completing the quests. Players will have to be careful however, as digging out some walls will result in cave ins, and any fossils squashed by the falling rubble will be destroyed, so understanding which places to mine is crucial for efficiency and keeping fossils alive. There is also a strange blueprint on every level of the cave in the shape of a dinosaur, which players will need to fill in so that they can descend to the next level. Failing to do so leaves the blue ‘force field’ behind, and players cannot descend to the next level which introduces a new fossil type such as claws, hips, etc. I’ll be honest, it may have slipped my mind the first few times, which lead to me travelling to the surface at least twice to figure out how to get down a level to make a skeleton out of claws. Which is something that is possible, as this fossil broker seems to ask for skeletons that are very strange, such as 2 heads and that’s it, or just 6 claws, or just needing 5 spine fragments. Who knows what this mystery money man wants with these, and frankly I’m ok with it.
What I found most curious about Fossil Hunters was uncovering the journal pieces throughout the cave levels, some being hidden in the walls while others are hidden within puzzles or other locations. These entries outline images and snippets from the fossil hunters that came before this new batch, detailing who they were and why they were down in this cave in the first place. I won’t spoil it too much, especially since I haven’t discovered them all yet, but it does add a nice little twist to the overall gameplay to give some context and depth to the world. I would also like to mention that if this game makes sounds like an Indiana Jones adventure, the soundtrack certainly bolsters that feeling immensely with a full adventurous orchestra, motivating players forward to discover, explore and create bizarre fossils. Only real difference really is that we get to do it with friends, and not have all of those extra… bits.
As mentioned, Fossil Hunters is also fully co-operative, so up to 4 players can create and explore together to manage crafting a fossil while accidentally caving in the whole place thanks to Player 3 not paying attention. The deeper you go, the harder and darker it gets, which can add to the hilarity in a multiplayer scenario. For solo players such as myself, it still offered the same gameplay with a slightly calmer situation, not having to worry about others trying to accomplish the same things as yourself. If you are looking for a fun and whimsical adventure where you create possibly disturbing representations of dinosaurs that we can all appreciate for being super mega dead, then Fossil Hunters is definitely the game to try out.
