The studio is made of former Gods of War 3 and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale devs

Mar 15, 2014 01:46 GMT  ·  By

The Dead Alien Cult game studio began as a side project for two members of the God of War 3 and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

It turns out they had the right notion, as Sony Computer Entertainment amicably ended the working agreement with its former studio, SuperBot Entertainment, just days after the studio laid off a significant number of its staff, a little over a year ago.

Now, the Los Angeles-based indie company is announcing its first project, Viking Ghost. It came to life following early development on a third-person multiplayer shooter, that was then put on hold in order to focus on something a little smaller in scope.

The resoundingly named Viking Ghost focuses on procedurally generated maps, mashing together classic frantic arcade action with adventure-styled gameplay.

"The idea for Viking Ghost came after many beers, a love for heavy metal, and deciding to randomly combine the words viking and ghost together because we thought it just felt cool," the developers stated.

As can be clearly ascertained from its announcement trailer, the game is focused on fun and lighthearted gameplay, full of over-the-top action and silly interactions, all set to energetic guitar riffs.

Players will take on the role of Ulfrik the Skull Splitter, the greatest warrior ever to terrorize the land, and will guide him through his quest for revenge against those who caused his untimely death, trapping him in the form of a restless spirit.

Gamers will have a wide array of weapons and abilities at their disposal, making clever use of their arsenal in order to fight their way through waves of enemies and numerous bosses.

The game will take more than just steely resolve and quick fingers, as in addition to combat players will also be challenged with simple puzzles in order to advance through certain areas.

The game also has an upgrade system that allows players to spend the experience points accumulated during their battles in order to improve certain attributes like speed, attack and defense, and will also provide ways for gamers to spend the gold they find during their journey on various items that will prove helpful later on.

The team states its main sources of inspiration to be The Legend of Zelda, Smash TV, Robotron, Spelunky and The Binding of Isaac. As such, Viking Ghost is a comical story-driven roguelike, featuring eight different locations, each one with procedurally generated layouts that provide variety with every playthrough.

Viking Ghost is currently in development, scheduled to arrive on PC, Mac and Linux at an undisclosed date in the future, and additional information can be found on its Steam Greenlight page.

Now, where in Odin's name did I put that axe guitar?