Former team members from LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway developer Media Molecule have formed a new studio, Foam Sword, and have announced their first game, called Knights and Bikes. The studio has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the project (via IGN).
In addition to former Media Molecule members, foam sword is made up of developers who have worked on games like LittleBigPlanet, Ratchet & Clank, and more. The game is set on an island called Penfurzy, just off the coast of 1980s Cornwall, England. Penfurzy is described as being “on the fast track to financial ruin and literal destruction.” The story follows main characters Nessa and Demelza as they explore the island in search of the truth behind its medieval legends. Along the way, they will encounter new locations, recruits, and treasure.
The Kickstarter page bills the game as “a co-op adventure about childhood inspired by The Goonies & Earthbound.” The studio says they want to mix these inspirations with with their childhood memories, and “channel it all through our years of experience making games.” In a bubble graphic, the page lists other “key ingredients” for the game, like SNES-era action RPG, a hand-drawn 3D world, magical realism, “excitable adventurous kids…on bikes!” along with a few others. Players can team up with a friend or go it alone in single player.
As of this writing, the game currently has 498 backers who have pledged almost $22,000 on the way to the studio’s $142,000 goal. The campaign just launched, and has 30 days to go. Some backer rewards include an extra digital key to give to a friend, a tube with a t-shirt and poster, and a limited edition art print.
There’s no word on when the game is expected to ship, but since development seems to have just started, don’t expect it any time soon. For now, it looks like a cartoonish, quirkier take on Oxenfree, the other recent indie game inspired by The Goonies.
