From the creator of the online comic Guinea Something Good comes a new retro platformer that takes a new perspective on the genre. I mean that literally, since the game will actually spin as you play through, giving the impression of a 3D world. In that regard, it’s a bit like Fez (although the two games’ style and presentation are completely different, and they share no gameplay similarities). Combined with comedic dialogue and a full cast of characters, Super Bunny Insurrection is a good game on Kickstarter that seems to be overlooked, for the most part.
The entire game seems to be made by one Jeff Mumm—an animator and illustrator who primarily draws webcomics. That said, the animations have obviously been taken care of in a thorough, thoughtful manner. You have completely different animations depending on your health, and the gameplay reflects that. You can’t run very fast if you’re hurt, and you can’t run or jump at all if you’re on the brink of death. Since jumping is the main element of a platformer, I can’t help but wonder if that’s the equivalent of a game over for Super Bunny Insurrection.
Graphics-wise, and despite its appearance as a still image, the game is very impressive. The graphics aren’t rendered at 16 or even 32 bit, so it avoids looking like a game straight off of the SNES. While the sprites are a bit rough around the edges, each angle of every object has been painstakingly drawn over the course of hours. I was expecting some kind of math to be behind it, with only six sprites being manipulated, but it appears that the artist drew the transitions of every angle for every object. That’s incredibly impressive, and unfortunately that work doesn’t show through in a still image. Luckily, the graphics engine is available on Guinea Something Good’s deviant art page. You can only collect tacos or do any of the platforming shown in the preview, but it shows exactly how the game’s graphics will play out.
As far as actual gameplay is concerned, it seems to be an average retro platformer. There is voice acting, dialogue trees, and complex jumping—but that’s nothing new. Bouncing on other characters is an interesting way to get around, but it’s also something that’s been around since the first Mario games. What this game has going for it, other than its graphics, are the humor and dialogue trees found throughout the game and the comic it spawned from. The main character is a bit slow to pick up on important things, but is very keen on noticing trivial troubles. Hilarity (theoretically) ensues.
The reason this game is probably overlooked is because of its logo (instead of looking retro, it just looks like someone messed around in paint) and its graphics. The graphics, while impressive, do not look good in still screenshots and won’t attract anyone’s attention. Even so, they’re impressive in action, and the game looks like it would be fun to play. Its engine runs on flash, so it would be available for any compatible platform if the game succeeds. If you’re interested in playing a new platformer with a unique perspective and comical characters, be sure to support Super Bunny Insurrection’s Kickstarter Campaign.
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