Twisted Pixel is showing off LocoCycle for the first time ever to the public here at PAX, and it just looks insane. The game kind of feels like if Spy Hunter and Batman: Arkham City had hot, messy, unprotected sex on the bathroom floor of a biker bar. How’s that for a goddamn box quote?
No, but seriously. LocoCycle looks great. The demo kicked off with pure absurdity that had me instantly laughing out loud. Oh, that Twisted Pixel charm is ever present.
Michael Wilford, CEO of Twisted Pixels, demonstrated the game, which sees I.R.I.S., the AI-powered motorcycle, escaping from Big Arms Academies, a Subdivision of Big Science Incorporated. If that last part sounds familiar, then you’ve played ‘Splosion Man or Ms. ‘Splosion Man. Along for the ride against his will is Pablo, a Spanish-speaking mechanic stuck to the rear of I.R.I.S. He’s pleading with you the whole time to stop all the things you’re doing, but I.R.I.S. doesn’t understand a thing Pablo says.
I.R.I.S. has some forward machine guns that she can use to shoot at cars, but she also has these set of combo attacks that gives off a Batman: Arkham City feel. Michael told me that they’re aiming for the fighting mechanics to be as easy to execute as Rocksteady’s titles, while including some level of depth to them as well. They’re still very early in development, so Michael couldn’t go into the specifics of the controls just yet.
From what I saw, though, it looked pretty straightforward. You need to counter the incoming attacks from enemy characters as they try to jump on board the bike. Pablo — poor, poor Pablo — can also be used as a melee weapon. How Pablo is able to take this abuse, especially when he’s being dragged along the ground at high speeds, will be explained later.
Again, it was a very early look and they aren’t saying too much yet. Michael was pretty excited about the collaboration they’re doing with Southern Metal Choppers and Legacy Effects on the replica bikes of I.R.I.S. and antagonist S.P.I.K.E. I got to see both the bikes at PAX, and they look stunning. They’re even functional, but they wouldn’t recommend anyone to ride them. Look for pictures of the bikes soon.
The stuff they’re doing with the actors is also huge for them. Having Robert Patrick as the voice of S.P.I.K.E. is a huge step up for the company, and Lisa Foiles as the voice I.R.I.S. sounds lovely. They have even more actors they’ll be revealing down the line.
I have real high hopes for LocoCycle. They’ve got a long way to go, but so far I liked what I saw. They’re not even sure if this is going to be an Xbox Live Arcade or full on retail game yet. It’s a big game according to Michael, and it’s going to take you to “crazy places” where you’ll be doing “crazy fucked-up shit.” I can’t wait.
