What do Punching Sharks and Bank Heists Have in Common?
The answer: an upcoming tablet game called The Masterplan. A newly formed indie studio out of Helsinki called Shark Punch (great name!) has revealed its first title, which it describes as "the greatest heist in the history of mankind." Inspired by classic heist movies and turn-based, nineties era games, its distinctive hand-drawn 2D art style and seventies setting (and funky soundtrack) mark it as one to watch.
We don’t know a heck of a lot about the game just yet. Jiri Kupiainen, Founder and CEO of Shark Punch, did reveal the team’s motivations for the project, stating; "We were talking about how we'd all recently played this or that 90s game that we had such great memories about, and how crappy the experience turned out to be in reality. That's when it hit us: instead of talking about how those games could be made better, we should be doing something about it."
Outside of epic sideburns and moustaches, we’ve been promised a physics-driven world that unfolds in real-time, but allows you to pause to plot your next move against a clever AI. The action will start out well before the heist, as you assemble the right crew, get your equipment together and then mastermind your plan. Glean whatever else you can from the trailer below and look for more info out of the GDC.
The Masterplan will be out in 2014 on PC, Mac and Linux, with the Tablet versions set to follow soon after. In the interim, if you’re looking for something to get stuck into, check out 50 Best Indie iOS Games of 2013 awards or our Top 10 Games of February.