Itatake at GDC 2019: Rest in Pieces Update and Upcoming Switch Release

Gamezebo is at GDC this year, catching up with our favourite mobile games developers. On the second day, we met Itatake, the folks behind the awesome horror runner Rest in Pieces. In a lovely meeting, we discussed Itatake’s future plans for the runner, including several updates and a Nintendo Switch release.

But before we get onto that, let’s just give you a recap of exactly what Rest in Pieces is. It’s a horror runner in which you have to help a bunch of poor lost souls who are trapped in porcelain dolls. Each doll has its own themed level, which takes place in a nightmare-ish landscape with a giant, terrifying monster to defeat.

You tap the left or right of the screen to swing in that direction, and can build momentum to swing wildly past obstacles. Aside from that, each character has its own booster power that helps you survive a tad longer. This includes temporary invulnerability and an attack that clears the path for you.

It’s simple stuff mechanically, but the gameplay is far from that. You’ll have a variety of obstacles to avoid, from treacherous rocks to moving enemies. Hit anything and it’s game over, forcing you to start the level from scratch.

Rest in Pieces is Simple Mechanically, but Incredibly Difficult

To defeat the boss, you basically just have to reach it to the end of the level. There are three different points where you can perform an attack that damages the boss. You don’t actually have to do anything but reach these points though. Once you’ve hit them all, the boss falls and it’s game over.

Developer Itatake is actually hard at work right now on two huge updates, one of which launches as early as April. That particular update focuses on introducing new characters and boosters. It will launch on April 3rd. The second, launching on May 25th, introduces more skins and a whole new theme – so there’s plenty to be excited about.

Switch owners will be pleased to learn that a Switch version is in the works, and will likely play quite differently from the mobile version. Itatake is currently experimenting with different camera angles and mechanics to offer a unique version of the game.

You can grab Rest in Pieces right now from the App Store or Google Play, the links to which are at the top of this article.

Glen Fox

Head of Editorial

Glen has over a decade's worth of experience in gaming journalism, writing for Pocket Gamer, Pocket Tactics, Nintendo Life, and Gfinity. When he's not badgering everyone about the dangers of passive text, you can probably find him playing Wild Rift.