At the Game Developers Conference earlier this year, Aggro Crab developer Nick Kaman told me that he thinks there’s a lot of meat left on the bone when it comes to co-op “friendslop” games, and that he wants to keep working in the space. Aggro Crab is still down to zig and not zag, though, and will be publishing and supporting a very different sort of game, the upcoming platformer Rebounder.
Rebounder | Announce Trailer – YouTube
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It’s tough enough to stand out in the games market these days, let alone as a 2D platformer, so I’m always excited when one really breaks through and catches my eye. Rebounder is killing it on the art front, presenting everything in this color-limited, comic book, cel-shadey view that I really dig. It dovetails with the story and designs, a sort of blue collar, working class sci-fi reminiscent of Scavenger’s Reign, Alien, or Mouthwashing.
“On a remote lunar worksite, valuable resources from an ancient age flow underfoot, and shareholders demand extraction,” reads Rebounders’ synopsis on Steam. “Contract workers fly-in and fly-out; blue collar labourers from around the galaxy all trekking to the edges of civilization for the next gig.
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“A Rebounder runs lines. They pull up their boots each day and speed through hazardous terrain to deliver precious cargo from point A to point B by any means necessary. It’s the gnarliest trade in the universe.”
Rebounder looks to be no slouch on the gameplay front either: Its Steam page references kaizo games, hardcore, challenge run fangames/romhacks built out of classic 2D platformers (mostly Super Mario World). It’s a style of game I’ve always loved to watch, but it feels relatively unapproachable for the average Joe. Taking kaizo games’ lead as inspiration for a full game strikes me as a brilliant move.
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“I think someone got really interested in mario shell jumps,” observed top commenter ChampionBob on Rebounder’s announcement trailer. Tricky jumps requiring deft manipulation and timing around defeated Koopa shells are a kaizo staple, and Rebounder seems to replicate that style of platforming with its grody little sci-fi bits and bobs.
So it looks rad, the story sounds neat, and it’s cribbing notes from a style of fangame that hasn’t seen a ton of imitation yet—I’m on board, let’s rock. Rebounder is targeting a general 2027 release window, and you can wishlist it on Steam.