Claymatic Games, the studio behind stop-motion animated shmup Platypus Reclayed, has released its next game. Knuckle Creek, an arena brawling party game, is out now on Steam for $5.99 USD or local equivalent.
The game uses a mix of clay animation, scanned clay models and 3D modelling to give it the studio’s distinctive clay look. It can be played solo through a campaign of at least 48 stages, or with friends in local and online battles for up to eight players.
The solo stages each put players in a different situation. They might play as Hot Dog Man fighting off hungry crows, take on the role of the local vampire facing pitchfork-wielding townsfolk, or step in as champion boxer Apollo Crude as he defends his title against the Karate Club. Each stage has star ratings and friends leaderboards for the fastest times, and Random and Endless Challenges offer more ways to compete.
Completing stages and earning star times unlocks hundreds of cosmetic items, including hats, jackets, shoes and hair, which can be mixed and matched to create anything from a bumpkin or punk brawler to a disco dancer, robot, pirate or monster.
In multiplayer, up to eight players can join on one machine, and local and private online matches support both PvP and team battles. Bots are available for practice or to team up against, and match settings can be customised in detail. Players can taunt each other with insults before hitting them with a fish, a can of beans, a live chicken or just a well-placed fist or foot, and those who have been knocked out can set traps from the sidelines. The game also features a bluegrass and blues-inspired soundtrack.
Anthony Flack, Lead Games Designer at Claymatic Games, said the team wanted Knuckle Creek to stand out both visually and in how it plays;
Last year’s acclaimed clay-animated shmup Platypus Reclayed was our calling card for what we could do as a boutique studio merging game development with stop-motion animation. Utilizing a blend of 3D animation with scanned clay models and traditional stop-motion, Knuckle Creek looks unlike anything else out there. We know even the best graphics in the world wouldn’t mean much if a game wasn’t fun to play. Knuckle Creek’s battle mechanics have been honed from hours of intensely competitive multiplayer sessions, offering a low barrier to entry but a high skill ceiling. We wanted something fun for the whole family, where players of all ages can have a good time regardless of their skill level going in.
Knuckle Creek is available now on Steam.
