Punch Quest Preview

By now, we’re all more than familiar with the endless runner. Okay, I’m being euphemistic, we’re pretty much sick of it. Justifiable hits like Jetpack Joyride and Mega Run aside, the genre often feels like it’s a contest of who can be there and have done that harder. But what if I told you we’re due for a take on the formula that included…punching!? Oh, and dinosaurs shooting laser beams out of their mouths.

By
Share this
  • Share this on Facebook
  • Share this on Twitter

I see your endless runner, and I raise you… punching it in the face.

By now, we’re all more than familiar with the endless runner. Okay, I’m being euphemistic, we’re pretty much sick of it. Justifiable hits like Jetpack Joyride and Mega Run aside, the genre often feels like it’s a contest of who can be there and have done that harder. But what if I told you we’re due for a take on the formula that included…punching!? Oh, and dinosaurs shooting laser beams out of their mouths.

From the indie masterminds at Rocketcat Games (Hook Champ, Mage Gauntlet) and Madgarden (Sword of Fargoal), Punch Quest is set to shake up the endless runner genre…by punching it in the face. On one hand, the game will borrow from the genre’s focus on simplicity, with a main character “controlled by tapping the left and right sides of the screen.” From there, however, things get a little more absurd… and a lot more epic.

Presumably with complimentary taps and swipes, players will have at their hands an arsenal of “uppercuts, slams, and straight punches,” as well as the ability to “customize [their] character with special moves and abilities.” Which is good, considering that Rocketcat and Madgarden looks to be packing the game’s dungeon setting with sword-wielding skeletons, blood-thirsty vampire bats, shambling zombies, brutish orcs and tons more baddies from video games gone by.

Straying even further off the beaten path, Punch Quest will let you… stray further from the beaten path (I didn’t really think that one through). In a Twitter post by Rocketcat, the game was described as being “endless, with branches that you get to pick.” Along your route, you will experience different elements of the game, and eventually master the ability to choose wisely from amongst many “little signs telling you what the [different] paths mean: Boss, Egg, Big Fight, Traps, etc.” In this way, the game already reminds me brilliant of Spelunky: an action-packed experience full of tons of little risks and rewards, which gives players the chance for a new, randomized adventure every time you play.

Visually, the title is very much reminiscent of the style Rocketcat has perfected and used lately in Mage Gauntlet and their upcoming spin-off Mage Dungeon. While some may argue they’re getting sick of SNES-era nostalgia, those people would also be heartless monsters. Besides, the more renewable resources you create when designing games, the faster you’ll be able to churn out new ideas. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want new ideas from both of these indie gems?

According to the interwebs, Punch Quest is due for release as soon as a month or two from now. And despite the lack of any specific pricing information, we can’t help but agree with one Twitter user’s sentiments: “I already want to give them ALL THE MONEY. They make digital awesome.”

Eli has loved mobile games since his dad showed him the magic of Game & Watch. He can't quite remember when he started loving puns.