I haven’t had time to catch up on the reels of film from Double Fine’s latest Amnesia Fortnight – but would be terribly surprised if it had produced an idea more compelling than Hack ‘n’ Slash, born during last year’s two-week internal jam.
Hack ‘n’ Slash is Zelda, but with a hacking system. Not a Deus Ex node network; not a BioShock pipes minigame; but an opportunity to make genuine alterations to the game’s code to circumvent your enemies.
Double Fine have put together a dimly-lit trailer in the spirit of the game’s ‘90s red-pill vibe. It is fun.
Bit of Double Fine trivia: That’s Hack ‘n’ Slash project lead Brandon Dillon there, wearing his cap backwards like a king. I don’t know who the men in shades are, but I don’t think they’re fully assault-coursed members of the FBI. Just a hunch.
Did you know? Tim Schafer would love to make Brutal Legend 2. But probably won’t.
Listen: I loved Brutal Legend in all its iffy-RTS ways and means. But I’d be perfectly happy for Double Fine to never make another sequel, so long as they make inspired, inside-out adventure games like Stacking and Broken Age. How about you?