Katapult, a new indie digital entertainment studio, announced today the availability of its first game, CHKN, on Steam Early Access. CHKN is an open world sandbox game where life itself is your strongest tool. Players assemble unique creatures from an inventory of over 80 creature parts – the combinations are endless. CHKN appeals to gamers of all skill and age levels. Using Katapult’s proprietary AI engine, creatures come alive and often times have a mind of their own! With Creative, Adventure and Multiplayer modes, there is an abomination for everyone.
“Katapult was founded to make a positive impact on today’s creative generation through technology”, said CEO, Kyra Reppen, who was formerly head of games at Nickelodeon. “I’m incredibly proud of the development team and the amazing strides they have made already with this game, testing the limits of AI and tools for self-expression. We aim to bring new experiences to the creative sandbox genre with CHKN. As we continue to develop the game, additional creatures, abilities and biomes will be added as well as improved AI and multiplayer mode.”
KEY FEATURES
•Unique AI (aka the Special Sauce): Bring creatures to life by slapping blocks together in whatever shape, size, or combination you want. These blocks of intelligent life give each creature unique personalities based on the combinations chosen by the player. No two creatures are alike…unless they are made to be alike…in which case, an egg will pop out of one of them. Even if it’s a cat. Because SCIENCE.
•Creature Interaction: Creatures have all the feels and they’re not afraid to express them. Sad eyebrows? The creature might be lonely. Happy smiles, burps and farts? They really enjoyed those hamburgers. If a creature is snarling and running at you, then it’s probably too late – you’re dead.
•Survival Tactics: You and your creature are starving to death. Do you feed your creature the last of your apples? Or do you cook your creature into a burger to feed yourself!?? Too much? OK. Creatures will work better than tools at collecting resources and protecting your homestead. They’re better at fighting and cutting down trees than you are, so you’ll definitely want them on your side.
•BUILD ALL THE THINGS! Build a house! Build a farm! Build a three-headed, five-footed, llama-rantula-pus! With your creatures help, break apart your surroundings to craft tools and structures. Craft beds made of chicken parts and farm the land in order to survive and thrive.
•Adventure, Creative and Multiplayer Modes: Build with wild abandon in creative mode, where there are no survival elements and you have unrestricted access to all items and blocks. If you are feeling daring, play Adventure Mode where you and your companion will have to survive in the wild together. Multiplayer Mode is early and still in development, but it is included. It’s limited to 4 to 8 players currently.
Pricing and Availability
Beta v0.1.0 is now available on Steam Early Access for Windows, Mac and Linux Operating Systems. Priced at $14.99 the game is slated for full release in six to twelve months.