Sunset Overdrive excited audiences when it was revealed at last year's E3 during Microsoft's press conference, but details were scarce following the initial trailer. The open-world shooter will be an Xbox One exclusive, we knew, but now more details about the mysterious title have emerged.
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Through an interview with the developers and hands-on time with the game, Polygon has several interesting details and revealing quotes, giving us the most new information on the title since its reveal. Insomniac Games, developer of Spyro, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance, are going for a whole new take on the apocalypse, trading doom and gloom for a wild party-like setting. Insomniac apparently refers to it as the "rock and roll end times", and an "awesomepocalypse".
You play in Sunset City, which is hosting a huge event for the launch of a new energy drink, OverCharge Delirium XT. You start as a character on the bottom rungs of the social ladder, but when all hell breaks loose, you are given the opportunity to become a hero.
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"When we got off of Resistance 3, which is a very dark, dystopian world, but right for that game, we said, 'Let's do something fun,'" explained lead writer John Paquette told Polygon. "We decided to take the trope of what most post-apocalyptic stories are and turn it on its head.
"Most post-apocalyptic stories, you've got the dystopia, you've got people struggling to survive, trying to do anything they can to find humanity. So we said, 'OK, let's create a character whose life is shitty in the modern world. And when the apocalypse comes, it's like a dream come true."
Your objective is to make it to the city walls and escape the hordes mutated by the energy drink, naturally. The gameplay revolves around fast-paced shooter mechanics, with acrobatic travel in a bright and colorful open world. Fluid movement through the city, like you'd see in Prince of Persia, is a key element to the gameplay, and you can run, jump, and grind your way through the environments.
"It's the game we've been meaning to make for 20 years," producer Bryan Intihar said. "From a style standpoint, the look the colors, it's what we're good at. We're good at stylized games and I think that's what you're going to see from us going forward."
The developers wanted to get back to their roots and make something they think personifies the company. Your hero is customizable, and the game is aiming for quirky, irreverent entertainment, with a "fun trumps realism" ideology. Read the full interview, including many more quotes, over at Polygon and keep an eye out here for more news.
