Chronicle Games and indie developer Slug Disco announced a release date for Strange Seed, an action-RPG inspired by Spore. Strange Seed will release on November 5 on Steam.
I’m old enough to remember when Spore was hyped as the Next Big Thing from legendary designer Will Wright and Maxis, of SimCity, and The Sims fame. Released in 2008, the evolutionary sim mashed together multiple genre types throughout its eras, including real-time strategy, action-RPG, and space sim.
The ambitious sim was a bit ahead of its time and met with a mixed reception (I personally loved it). But the main thing people fondly remember is the highly customizable creature stage.
Strange Seed is directly inspired by the creature stage from Spore. Though instead of forming you own creature like a ball of clay, you’ll utilize various real-world animal parts. Players can use any DNA they come across, swapping body parts to gain new abilities. A total of seven slots can be swapped around, with over 30 full creatures, which equals over 10 million possible combinations.
The new trailer shows insect parts, crabs, snakes, and even dragons and dinosaurs.
Different parts provide different stats, attacks, and special abilities, such as climbing or flying. Some parts may be required to access certain areas or complete challenges, adding a metroidvania layer to the adventure. You can also accessorize with hats and other parts.
It’s a neat idea, and I wish more game studios tried to tackle the Spore-thing.
Strange Seed will launch of November 5. A free demo is available now on Steam.
