Rhizome Games announces Loot Hound is now available on Steam for PC and Mac.
From Pete Low – the lead game designer of Dark Summit, Scarface: The World Is Yours, Swarm and Wolfblood: Leader Of The Pack – and Rhizome Games comes something decidedly less sweary and much more relaxing. In Loot Hound you play the role of a hoarder, pack rat, or collector of what many would consider junk. The phrase ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure’ is put to good use in this game as seemingly mundane things such as dirty socks, beer bottles and odd chunks of rock become meaningful loot to your character. That’s not to say that all the things you find are what you might call typical. The further you explore, the more you unearth, literally, discovering long lost treasures of past presidents, rare snack foods, insane instruments and crazy toys among many others. The game has 110 collectibles to find in 10 different parks that range in size from small to very large with a variety of environments and ambience to keep things fresh throughout.
What sets this collecting game apart is the way in which you go about finding items and something that Pete Low wanted to explore with the game’s core mechanics. “We wondered what a leash mechanic might feel like with the spring loaded triggers of an XBox or Playstation controller. After some prototyping we were reminded of Ico where you had to lead a NPC through the game in order for them, in turn, to help you. We liked the thought of exploring that type of mechanic some more and ended up with leading a dog who could dig things up for you.”
In general the game is a bit like fishing or bug collecting in Animal Crossing on a bigger scale and less passive. You must actively take your dog(s) for a walk and lead them through the variety of parks looking for buried treasure while avoiding distractions and the Park Patrol along the way. “The leash allows you to direct the dog putting the onus on you to remember where you’ve been and to take the dog to the precise areas you want them to search.” Says Pete, “We wanted to strengthen the idea that the dog needs you as much as you need it so we purposefully didn’t include any map aids for this reason. It helps to create more of a bond between you and your dog when you’re working together without the game helping any further.”
As you progress in the game you eventually end up owning three different dogs at the same time. Marley, your first dog, has the ability to dig through rocky ground. Wifi, the smallest, can sneak through small spaces, and finally Mr. Anderson is a brute who can make other animals get out of the way if needed. Each dog also comes with their own set of skills including Detecting, Digging, Concentration, Stamina and Luck that you can upgrade with Loot Points that you earn by finding new and repeat loot items. “Having three different dogs who you can train in slightly different ways adds a small element of strategy to the game as well as furthering the personalities for each dog.” Pete goes on to say, “The game is set up so that you can specialize each dog. You can make one your detector, one your digger, and one very lucky then use them in combination to get everything, it’s more efficient than trying to make one dog the best at everything, though you can if you want.”
Watching your dog dig is hugely satisfying. Chunks of dirt fly out as your dog madly scratches the ground while rotating around the growing hole until the moment when, hopefully, the loot container shoots out. Holes look different every time and your dog’s digging skill even affects how big and how far the chunks fly. It’s no wonder then that the city have hired Park Patrol to try to catch and prevent badly behaved dogs and owners from destroying everything. “We didn’t want the game to be entirely passive, there needed to be some peril and a reason to use the leash quickly.” If the Park Patrol see your dog digging or if you give them a nudge they’ll chase you down. Pulling on the leash and running away is your best option but other things can happen. “Your dog will take care of itself if threatened directly and they’re faster than you. You can get into a situation where your dog will take matters into its own paws and run away with the leash dragging along the ground behind it as it tries to outrun the Park Patrol. You can follow and if you’re skilled enough you can distract the Park Patrol to leave your dog alone and chase you instead.” If you’re successful, the Park Patrol will give up the chase and you may then have to spend some time trying to find your dog. “Your dog will keep wandering around looking for things to do and can even detect and dig up things on their own if they come across them.” It all makes for a very dynamic relationship that Pete hopes will bring new experiences for the audience. “The term indie has so many contexts today that we feel like the meaning has become somewhat grey. For us it describes something that people can genuinely say they haven’t seen or done before in a video game.”
Steam Page:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/411680/