Savage Planet sequence developer Raccoon Logic introduced a brand new sport at Gamescom right now, and it is not what anybody would count on.
Breakaway Hockey League is a brand new “high-skill” 4v4 ice hockey sport with five-minute matches, ranked play, and what the studio referred to as “larger-than-life spectacle.”
In growth for PC, Breakaway Hockey League has gamers controlling only one member of the crew, not all the lineup such as you may discover in EA’s NHL sequence. Raccoon Logic is promising issues like practical puck physics and “bodily checking,” together with different stuff you’d count on from a hockey sport, together with ability strikes like dekes and choosing your corners with precision taking pictures.
Raccoon Logic is hoping Breakaway Hockey League will result in “highlight-reel moments” with its extra arcade-y setup, which in flip individuals might share on-line. The sport guarantees gamers “dramatic breakaways, clutch saves, and bone-rattling hits.”
Raccoon Logic’s advertising and marketing boss Hugo Agostinho stated the crew created Breakaway Hockey League partly due to a spot out there with hockey video games vanishing from PC. That is not completely true, as Steam is full of hockey video games like Bush League Hockey, Hoser Hockey, and Yard Hockey ’02, simply to call just a few. In any occasion, Raccoon Logic sees a chance for Breakaway Hockey League to face out with its mix of “ability, pace, and violence.”
“We’re aiming to maintain the soul of hockey whereas including the purity of recent aggressive motion video games,” sport director Steve Masters stated.
Agostinho acknowledged that there are improbable indie-style ice hockey video games on Steam, however these don’t scratch the precise itch that Breakaway Hockey League goes for.
“Progress of the sport on a world scale”
Chatting with GameSpot at Gamescom, Agostinho stated ice hockey continues to broaden into new territories and attain extra individuals, and Breakaway Hockey League is coming to market in opposition to that backdrop. He identified {that a} crew from Florida, the Panthers, have now received back-to-back Stanley Cups, and he admitted he is feeling fairly salty a few US-based crew doing so effectively. But it surely’s additionally serving to develop the sport.
“The expansion of the sport on a world scale after which the sorts of audiences has additionally expanded considerably,” he stated. “We see locations like Japan, China, France, Italy, all having their very own hockey scenes. We’ve knowledgeable hockey league for ladies within the PWHL. Montreal received the primary cup, which is the place the studio’s based mostly, so it’s totally thrilling there.”
He additionally identified how the HBO sequence Heated Rivalry just lately helped introduce much more individuals to ice hockey. He stated the present, together with different components, has helped make hockey interesting to individuals aside from the standard “hockey bro with a lacking tooth.”
“One of many funniest issues I’ve heard is a variety of the followers who’ve gotten into hockey from Heated Rivalry … they’re going to go to video games and name it ‘hockey boy aquarium.'”
Raccoon Logic is planning to launch Breakaway Hockey League by way of Steam Early Entry, however earlier than that, the studio is internet hosting alpha and beta playtests with a concentrate on “fast iteration” because the studio develops the sport alongside the neighborhood.
“We’re making this not a lot for like hardcore hockey followers as we’re for just like the Overwatch, the Valorant participant, the Rocket League participant, the Counter-Strike participant,” Agostinho stated. “And a variety of our inspirations for design even really come from shooter shooter video games, and never a lot sports activities video games, which is a extremely cool place to begin for one thing like this.”
On-ice motion
In contrast to EA’s NHL sequence, Breakaway Hockey League has gamers controlling only one skater, and never from a top-down presentation. As a substitute, the sport is introduced with a third-person, over-the-shoulder digital camera. The third-person perspective is geared toward making you “really feel like an athlete” versus watching a hockey broadcast, Agostinho stated. Moreover, this angle makes the sport really feel “extra immersive,” he stated.
Sadly, no gameplay footage for Breakaway Hockey League has been launched to this point, however that is coming quickly, the builders stated.
