Mintrocket, the developer behind wholesome fishing-restaurant sim Dave The Diver, has revealed its next game – Wakerunners.
A top-down multiplayer shooter for PC, Wakerunners will take place in the near future, where Earth has been devastated by a virus and part of the moon crashing into the planet.
It’s a far cry from developer Mintrocket’s 2023 hit Dave The Diver, which tasked players with exploring the sea while running a restaurant.
Speaking to NME, Wakerunners director ChaeHyun Lim shared that Mintrocket “develops games with free themes,” and the success of Dave The Diver – which was nominated for Best Independent Game at The Game Awards 2023 – “has given other projects at Mintrocket a lot of hope and momentum”.
A key mechanic in Wakerunners will be speed. The game’s Steam page mentions that players will have to use “precise” acceleration and deceleration controls, which Lim said will add a tactical layer to each match.
“Due to the physics of acceleration, it is impossible to stop the speed instantly in the game,” they explained. “Hence, controlling acceleration and deceleration skills can change the game in a split second. You can utilise acceleration to encounter enemies quickly and strike first, or you can use deceleration to attack precisely.”
As for the game’s post-apocalyptic, Lim confirmed that Earth will be “devastated” in Wakerunners. Following a virus, things go from bad to worse when “governments, entrepreneurs, and military organisations” break off a piece of the moon, which comes hurtling back down to Earth.
“This act initiates an endless descent of civilizations into chaos, where the greed of the few exacts a heavy toll on the many,” shared Lim. “Now, the Resource War for coveted Lunium ignites within the union, an essential element for fuelling ‘Rapid Packs.’ These packs grant the ability to traverse the newly created anti-gravity landscapes.”
While a release date for Wakerunners is yet to be confirmed, a playtest will be available from February 5 to February 12 as part of Steam Next Fest.
In other gaming news, a September release date for Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl has been confirmed with a new trailer.