There were a couple of things that made the now-disbanded Clover Studio a special team. FromGod HandtoViewtiful JoetoOkami, each of their games took a uniquely Japanese idea (apocalypse-theme Shonen manga, Sentai TV/films, and Sumi painting, respectively) and brought them to the world of gaming. They also made it a point to infuse each of their games with a signature hook, or in some cases, signature hooks.God Handhad its… God Hand,Viewtiful Joehad its film effects,Okamihad its “painting the world” gameplay, and so forth.
That’s all been less true of the titles we’ve seen from Platinum Games, the studio that Clover begot. There has been much more of a Western bent to most of Platinum’s titles so far, and while each has its own gameplay hook, the blazing ingenuity seen in the Clover library hasn’t quite been there.
I feel like that’s going to change withProject P-100. The Japanese flavor is definitely back, as are the unique gameplay concepts and feeling of unbridled creativity. This is a game where you lead a small army of regular-folks-turned-superheros into a battle against small robots, large robots, and evenmorelarger robots, with the ability to turn yourself and your little Justice League into a blob of cherry jello if you need to. It’sPikminmeetsThe Last GuymeetsViewtiful JoemeetsLego Star Wars, and I think I love it.
