Fist Puncher, the button-mashing retro brawler from Team2Bit, is currently available for preorder on Steam, publisher Adult Swim Games announced.
The game will go on sale this Friday for $9.99. Preorders will get 10 percent off and receive a bonus playable robot unicorn from the side-scrolling, endless runner, Robot Unicorn Attack.
Developed by brothers Matt and Jake Lewandowski, Fist Puncher puts a modern twist on the classic brawler by combining role-playing elements with special attacks, unlockables, easter eggs and wide selection of weapons. The game is packed with humor and absurd situations like brawls on a nudist beach and at Hitler's birthday party, but according to Matt Lewandowski, the source of inspiration was based in reality.
The game is packed with humor and absurd situations like brawls on a nudist beach and at Hitler's birthday party.
"A few years ago, our northern California beach town saw a huge spike in crime," he told Polygon. "Gang violence was on the rise, petty crime seemed to be everywhere and we even had a group of radical anarchists that were attacking local businesses. It felt like no matter where we turned, crime and violence were staring us in the face.
"We felt helpless. We felt like there was nothing we could do. So one afternoon while brainstorming for game ideas, we came up with the idea for a game where you control a group of vigilantes who clean up the violent streets in their community. It was a way for us to respond to everything that was happening and subliminate some of our anger."
The brothers began working on Fist Puncher in 2010 in their spare time. It wasn't until they entered and won IGN's The Next Game Boss reality show and were accepted into the Indie Open House that they quit their day jobs (Matt worked in the biotech and mecial software industries for a decade) and focused their efforts on the game.
Fist Puncher will feature 15 playable characters as well as Steam DLC that will allow players to play as the Robot Unicorn from Robot Unicorn Attack (pre-orders will get this character as a bonus). There are more than 50 levels, 99 unlockable achievements and four-player local co-op.
While Team2Bit has shipped a few smaller titles in the past, Fist Puncher will be its first major release.
"Our overall goal is pretty simple," Matt Lewandowski said. "We want people to enjoy the game. We're also hoping it does well enough so we can continue to make games and have enough resources to move onto our next project.
"Making an indie game is a little like playing Frogger. You jump from log to log, praying that you don't sink into the water and that eventually, you'll make it safely to the other side."
Fist Puncher is out this Friday on Steam. If it performs well enough, Team2Bit will consider porting it to Sony platforms, Ouya, Mac and Linux. Pre-orders can be made here.
