Taking a break from my usual programming posts this time. I regularly check out some of the developer journals from GameDev, and in particular those that report progress on some games they’re working on, like myself. One that really caught my attention was Squishy- a 2D action game with platforming elements. (For some reason I thought the game was called “Squish!” Well, it sounds better to me, anyway) The author of the game, Aardvajk, has been working on this game for a few months, mostly tuning the physics and controls and it’s starting to pay off.

This game still has quite a ways to go before it’s released, but I’ve played a recent demo and there is a lot of good potential in this game. Mixing in elements from Bionic Commando and World of Goo, Squishy lets you take on the role of a roundish blob with two arms that can extend in any direction. These arms let you stick on to almost anything. You can use each arm by pressing either of two keys on the keyboard, and aiming where you want your arms to go is as easy as clicking a spot on the screen. Being a squishy blob, you can also roll around along the floor or make short hops when your arms are not needed.

The latest demo of Squishy is still very early in its development stage but it already is very playable. Even though it only includes one small stage with no actual goals, the controls feel solid enough to make it very fun to play around with. The physics in the demo are also very good, giving a good sense of weight and inertia as you navigate through the level. Your character’s movement is definitely more fluid and less stiff than in Bionic Commando. I was able to cover long distances quickly Spider-man style after a few tries with the controls.  There are blocks scattered around the world that you can grab and throw. You can even pick one up while swing with your other arm, and the added weight of the block will reduce your mobility.

The gameplay is already there- it just needs needs the “meat” to make it a fully featured game. Aardvajk has been using a custom level editor to work on many levels and add new obstacles, and considering it’s all programmer art it doesn’t look too bad. The internals are already in good shape, and all that’s needed are a few coats of polish to make it really stand out from the rest of the platformer pack.

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