Overgrowth, the long awaited 3D action-fighting-game about a rabbit named Turner, has had an arduous development. In the span of twelve years, the Wolfire Games developer, David Rosen, created a game essentially from the ground up. After over a decade of hard work, his game is finally ready to exit Steam’s early access later in the month.
In 2005, Rosen released Lugaru, the prequel game about Turner, who goes on quest for revenge. The game’s combat is unique in that it forgoes from traditional button combos and opts to use timing and context for attacks and counters, creating a more free-flow form of fighting. It was received well by fans and was also praised for its use of its independently built engine that utilized ragdoll physics, a feat that was not common of indie games of that era. Shortly thereafter, Rosen began creating concepts for sequel to Lugaru, and later that year, began building new game engine that would power Overgrowth.
The concepts present in Lugaru will be making a comeback in Overgrowth but with much more gusto, polish, and shine. The game comes with a graphical overhaul over its predecessor, a new and improved sandbox-style of combat, and new weapons and enemies for the player the experiment with. Turner can now utilize more contextual actions, and the player can experience the revamped ragdoll physics and actions. Lugaru’s stealth mechanics have also been capitalized on more, making it a more prominent feature in Overgrowth. In addition, a new campaign has been added to continue Turner’s story after the events of the first game.
The combat is more-so designed this time around to “not about winning. It’s about experimenting to make the coolest action scenes that [the player] can.” This is further supported by the lack of load times when the player respawns after death. Overgrowth will also have access to the Steam Workshop, and owners will be able to create their own levels, characters, weapons, and more for direct upload and player use.
Overgrowth will still be available as an early access game for Windows, Mac OS, Steam OS, and Linux until its full release for $29.99, where its price will not increase afterwards. Overgrowth is also available for purchase through Humble Bundle.