Indie game studio Animo Industries announced its Kickstarter campaign launch for its inauguralgame Animo Stars Arena.
Players choose their favorite animal pilot, customize a mech war machine, and hunt their prey in this adorably destructive multiplayer shooter.
The start of the crowdfunding campaign coincides with the kick-off of the Summer Games Fest. Animo is participating in The MIX Summer Game Showcase in-person event today, where attendees can get hands-on with all-new gameplay, followed by the debut of a new Animo Stars Arena trailer during Saturday’s Future Games Show Live at SGF broadcast showcase.
Animo Stars Arena will have a playable demo on Steam.
Those not attending SGF can download an early playable demo on Steam.
A 2024 GDC Pitch Finalist, Animo Stars Arena is a casual shooter that allows players to fully customize their hanger of ludicrously overpowered combat mechs, then team up in a wide variety of gameplay modes and wreak havoc on their enemies in challenging and ever-evolving battlescape environments.
The mechs are tailored by swapping between dozens of cabins and bumpers; choosing a traversal engine such as treads, wheels, hovercrafts and more; and then arming it with a host of special weapons like flamethrowers and grappling hooks.
Further personalization comes from paint colors and themes, and choosing the driver from a cast of cuddly but cunning, scaled, or fiercely feathered fighter pilots. Multiple play modes provide action for all types of players.
The company said the game provides the same kind of high-energy, playful and chaotic fun that was a hallmark of games like Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. – filling the void left by today’s third-personcompetitive/shooter genre trend toward dark, serious and “hardcore” gatekeeping.
The lively colorful town, “cute” pilots, and over-the-top action is relatable to a much broader audience and the gameplay modes are accessible to a wide range of skill levels (key elements of classic mainstream multiplayer games like SSB).
Animo Industries has a team of seven.
“When we first conceived the idea of cute pet animals piloting powerful mechanical juggernauts, we knew we had the opportunity to make something special in the shooter space; something that could recapture the lighter and more accessible tone of classic multiplayer Nintendo games of our youth,” said Diego Santana, Animo’s executive producer, in a statement. “As the vision became clearer, we incorporated everyone’s favorite multiplayer modes, and some new ones that we think will excite both casual players and more traditional competitive multiplayer shooter fans.”
Animo Stars Aren …