It’s hard to stand out in a flood of game development. The marketplace is a wondrous bazaar of innovation, experiences and expression. Stepping into this marketplace is overwhelming as a player. As a developer, it’s terrifying. Therefore, when an independent developer makes something unique and special, we journalists like to raise our banners and call more people to play it. Today, I do just that.
The developers at PixelMetal have been hard at work on chaotic multiplayer, akin to Super Smash Bros. with spaghetti-western themes:Â Sombrero.
Maps are large enough to hold four players comfortably, while retaining the chaotic nature of the game.
Sombrero will feel familiar to players of Smash Bros. and Towerfall: Ascension. Large stages filled with culture becomes a shooting gallery for cowboys, skeleton gamblers and cheese. The game’s humor is apparent in its themes and characters. In fact, the first time I fired this up with a friend, we couldn’t stop laughing. Our brawls were as messy as a saloon after a good bar fight, but we never stopped having fun.
Sombrero Deathmatch stage playthrough.
While playing an early test build of the game, I played two different modes, Loot and Deathmatch. Deathmatch is exactly what one would expect: find other banditos and introduce them to a six shooter, dynamite or the dreaded pulse gun. Â On the other hand, Loot encourages more movement on the map to collect sacks of scratch. Players can also claim campfires to increase a modifier, which doubles the amount in a cash sack by however many campfires the player has claimed. Loot will surely be the main mode players gravitate to, as it feels less one sided in most occasions. I did play with only one other person, so a full on four-player match would feel much different.
Character design is one of the funniest aspect of the game.
This indie is one of those casual games that emulates some truly great game designs, but remains fresh due to its lighthearted approach. The themes found in the design of the characters, stages and music fit well together. Makes me crave a shot of whiskey over leered eyebrows, with a pistol at my hip and a knife in my boot.
Sombrero will be hitting PC, Mac, and Linux in a few months, but I hope to see it ported to other consoles as well. This frantic western would fit well on the Nintendo Wii U or the PlayStation family of consoles. Either way, Sombrero is worth picking up and playing with some brave cowboys and cowgirls.
Expect a good time at the saloon with Sombrero.
For gameplay footage, check out the video below on the Giga Geek Youtube Channel.Â
Indie Alert: Sombrero was originally published on GIGA: GeekMagazine
