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Retro Survival Horror Gaming Gets an Aussie Twist in ‘Loggerhead’ [Trailer]

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Fancy a throwback Survival Horror title set in 1980’s Australia? That’s what you’ll be getting with Affordable Cat’s Loggerhead. Described as a “classic Survival Horror Experience featuring a retro stylistic aesthetic”, Loggerhead is currently aiming for a 2023 release on Steam.

As one would expect for a game touting classic Survival Horror mechanics, Loggerhead features fixed camera angles, tank controls and classic puzzle solving. The game takes place in 1985, where the Australian Government has shut down the Boggarogga Creek campsite in the wake of a series of brutal murders. Despite the warnings (and as horror trope goes), you still have people visiting the campsite despite the closure. Two of those people are Daryl and Tracey, who have been invited for a weekend camping trip with some friends. As you might expect, the duo soon find themselves stranded and trapped in a night of horrors.

“Growing up my first interactions with games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill on the PlayStation really gripped me,” explains Affordable Cat’s Chris Willis. “The slower pace and general sense of dread these games filled me with sparked something in my imagination. Making a game in this style has been a lifelong dream of mine.”

You’ll be able to choose between two playable characters, each with slightly different stats and alternative endings. Loggerhead will feature outdoor and indoor locations that  can be explored to find the required items/artifacts to progress. Combat is heavy and gory, with a number of enemies to deal with, including the eponymous Loggerhead, a seemingly invincible pursuer. And seeing that it’s Australia, you of course have the wildlife that only seems to want to kill you.

On top of all of that is the game’s aesthetic. While there are countless of titles using the throwback PS1 style (such as titles from Puppet Combo), Affordable Cat chose to go with more of a “straight to VHS B-movie feel” with Loggerhead. “I want Loggerhead to feel like an old Ozploitation film you would find on VHS tape at a garage sale. Plenty of indie horror games are going for the low-poly PS1 graphics (although I love this) I want Loggerhead to feel more like a bad movie complete with shaky handheld camera work rather than an old game”.

Writer/Artist/Gamer from the Great White North. I try not to be boring.

Video Games

‘Toxic Crusaders’ – Retroware’s Side-Scrolling Beat-‘Em-Up Coming Fall 2024

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Toxic Crusaders video game

Retroware surprised everyone last year with the announcement that they’re working on a throwback beat-’em-up based on the Toxic Crusaders cartoon. Grab your mop and get ready: the side-scrolling beat ’em up game is heading our way later this year.

Toxic Crusaders is now available to preorder on Steam, with the game set for Fall 2024 release. Exact date TBA.

Developer and publisher Retroware has teamed up with Troma Entertainment to bring the characters from the 1991 cartoon “Toxic Crusaders” back, for an all-new, all-action beat ’em up for one to four players.

In the game, “When the evil Dr. Killemoff attacks, only one team of hideously deformed creatures of superhuman size and strength stands between him and his plans for global pollution: the Toxic Crusaders, Earth’s last, greatest and ugliest hope for survival! Battle across seven disgusting levels rendered in vibrant pixel art as you defend Tromaville from hordes of Radiation Rangers, mutated thugs and zombie chickens. The odds might be stacked against you but with awesome powers, a winning personality, and up to four-players on your side, the Smogulan Empire’s days are numbered!

“Choose from seven playable characters, including Toxie, No-Zone, Junkyard, Major Disaster, and Headbanger – plus, for the first time, play as Toxie’s musically “gifted” girlfriend Yvonne, and the mother of all mothers, Mrs. Junko, Toxie’s mom!”

Considering this is set in Tromaville, it’s a safe bet that we’ll see more Troma characters beyond the Crusaders here.  Toxic Crusaders will also feature fully voice-acted motion comic cutscenes, featuring voice acting by TeamFourStar, industry veterans, and of course, Troma actors.

Check out the gameplay demo below for a closer look at the Toxic Crusaders in action.

Toxic Crusaders is coming soon to Xbox Series X + S, Playstation 4 + 5, Steam, Nintendo Switch, and the Epic Games Store. But you can wishlist on Steam in the meantime.

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