Mutant Mudds is launching its first foray outside Nintendo consoles as it releases in Steam today.
Renegade Kid’s brilliant platformer was a surprise success on the 3DS, drawing attention to the console’s viability for indie developers. The game boasts over 60 levels, a nostalgic, if not overdone, sprite based art style, 20 track chiptune soundtrack, and some of the most devious gameplay that has been seen in a side-scroller this side of Spelunky.
The story is simple enough. Game protagonist Max is just at home with his grandmother, playing a video game in his room, when a meteor hits. The next thing you know, alien invaders called Mudds are out to conquer Earth. Max steps out, jetpack strapped in and water cannon in tow, to collect all the Water Sprites and rid the world of the Mutant Mudds menace.
Gameplay is a combination of platforming, side-scrolling shooting, and some puzzle solving. Mutant Mudds also distinguishes itself from the pack by allowing you to go in and out of the foreground and background, providing access to previously partly obscured areas and giving the game world a sense of depth.
While the game’s showrunner Jools Watsham testifies to Nintendo of America’s amiability and the viability of their platforms, he was also one of many developers who learned firsthand the struggles Valve had with their Steam Greenlight program. Mutant Mudds was part of the 100 game batch that signaled Valve’s renewed push in the program, and now Steam fans will get a chance to learn what Nintendo fans already know.
Up next for Mutant Mudds is PSN, but for now, we wish Jools and the team at Renegade Kid the best of luck in their Steam debut.
