A couple of posts ago, we mentioned the development of an upcoming indie arcade game by the name of Strike Harbinger. It was a big surprise that was shown as a part of the Segabit/Galloping Ghost Arcade Sega Week that took place last week. Primarily influenced by Sega’s Space Harrier, Strike Harbinger is still very early in development but in working with Galloping Ghost Productions, the game is coming to arcades.
We rarely get news on games this early in development (it’s only 5-10% complete) but thanks to Segabits, they sat down with the game designer Chris Tang to discuss his history with video games, game tournaments and many of the games he has worked on.The first 30 minutes of the podcast covers the history (along with some interesting stories like how Gauntlet IV came to be) then get into his new game:
If you don’t have the time to listen at the moment, here’s a summary. Around the 31 minute mark gets into SH, providing more details as well as game footage. It turns out that there is more to it than just being a Space Harrier clone, with other sci-fi/fantasy Sega titles playing an influential role, such as Phantasy Star. The game will also have elements such as a special aim stick, a sword, different ways to boost and even a parry feature he calls Slam Boosting. It definitely sounds like a game that will hold more advanced game mechanics than we’ve been used to coming across with most modern arcade games. Chris is also aiming to make this pump out some cutting edge graphics so it fits into the modern arcade space like it should. Chris also gets into the game’s storyline and his philosophy on fun factor and replay value behind the game.
We’re really looking forward to seeing how this game turns out. In my personal opinion, if any one of these upcoming indie titles ends up being a strong seller, it could change the dynamics of what types of games we see developed and released to the arcade market. Given that the current industry thinking is that “skill kills” (which runs up against the shallow money making achieved with redemption), it is an uphill battle. What are your thoughts about this so far?