Grabbles is a physics-based platformer with an unconventional movement mechanic that encourages players to maintain continuous flow.
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$3,303
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Grabbles is a physics-based platformer with an unconventional movement mechanic that encourages players to maintain continuous flow.
About this project
A huge thank you to everyone who supported us!
Unfortunately we were unable to successfully drive enough people to the page and complete this Kickstarter project.
Don't worry, we still have big plans for Grabbles because we truly believe it is a unique experience. We find that once we get this game into the hands of the player, they can't put it down.
You can stay up to date by visiting www.GrabblesGame.com and by following us on the links below. We love hearing from you so don't be shy!
Unlike most traditional platformers that focus on a combination of running and jumping mechanics, grabbles use their two stretchy appendages and elastic bodies to pull, swing, and bounce their way through a treacherous and visually engaging alien world.
Play the Demo: http://www.noblewhale.com/grabbles
Grabbles move around by shooting out their two sticky appendages to grab the environment and pull themselves through the levels. In multiplayer games, Grabbles can even grab each other to pull themselves along or fling the other player to their doom!
A flexible selection of control schemes allows for ease of play across a variety of platforms:
On consoles, PC, and Mac you can play using any standard gamepad. The two joysticks are used to control your two sticky appendages which can be shot out using the corresponding triggers.
You can also play using the mouse on PC and Mac. Simply move the mouse pointer to aim and use the left and right mouse buttons to fire each appendage.
We have also implemented simple multitouch controls that will be used in the mobile version of the game.
Grabbles can also use their powerful muscles to swing a bit while they are pulling themselves around. Once mastered, this extra little bit of control makes it possible for players to skillfully weave their way through momentum killing obstacles.
Maintaining a continuous flow throughout each level makes for some really satisfying gameplay.
Each level is tailor made so that a skilled player can smoothly pull, swing, and roll their way through, without ever losing momentum. This makes for some very satisfying speed runs.
Players are encouraged to replay levels and perfect their flow in order to unlock bonus levels and items.
The campaign challenges players to master these deceptively simple mechanics as they explore a series of increasingly treacherous alien environments. As a Grabble you will journey to discover the source of a recent string of catastrophic events that are threatening to destroy your grabbly way of life.
After some experimentation we decided to build the skeleton from a network of balls held together by springs. This allows the grabbles to dynamically react to the world around them by bouncing, squishing, and stretching.
The fluid appearance of the character is a result of overlaying this skeleton with a custom effect designed specially for the game. Using this physics based approach, we’ve created a responsive and dynamic character without creating a bunch of work for the art team.
Almost everything that you encounter in Grabbles is alive and interactable.
We intend to have a number of completely different environments for the grabbles to explore on their journey. Each environment has a distinct art style as well as unique obstacles to challenge the player.
We’ve been working to create some really interesting physics based creatures to inhabit each environment and help or hinder the player.
On top of all that we’ve got some epic bosses planned as well as some really cool unlockable wearable items.
Arena - Players compete for points gained by finding and entering the goal. This act pleases the Observers. Players race to make it to the goal while trying to pull each other off course or into one of the deadly traps found throughout the arenas!
Deathmatch - Players grab and fling each other around deadly environments trying to rack up as many kills as they can while avoiding the hail of sticky appendages seeking to end their own life.
Race - Race Mode offers players the opportunity to compare their skill and speed by racing through levels from the campaign. It’s a lot of fun grabbing someone who is ahead of you and flinging them backwards while propelling yourself forward. We like to think of this game mode as uncooperative multiplayer.
We also keep track of the best times for each level, both locally and globally.
Players can even race against a recording of any of the best runs to see how they stack up to their friends or the pros.
One of the features that we are most excited about is local multiplayer. We firmly believe that the best way to play any multiplayer game is with your friends in the room with you. It has been a bit of a challenge lately to find games that have local multiplayer and we think that’s really a shame. We’ve spent a significant amount of time working to make Grabbles the kind of game that brings people together for some old school gaming goodness.
The campaign and mobile versions offer an enjoyable experience for the casual gamer as they traverse each level to unlock new levels and bonus items. Race mode is also a lot of fun with a couple of friends to throw around.
More hardcore gamers will tend to be drawn towards the speed run and multiplayer aspects of the game. The controls are very simple at first glance but there is a surprising amount of depth to them, especially when swinging is thrown into the mix.
Noble Whale Studios was formed by childhood friends Zeb Long and Brad Murphy. After graduating college in 2009 we moved in together and soon found ourselves collaborating on simple prototypes and experimental games. With our tight-knit crew pieced together from past roommates, current roommates, and friends of roommates, we thought it only appropriate to name the studio after the house where most of us live and work together: “The Whale.” The Whale is a reference to the Decemberists song “A Mariners Revenge"
"We are two mariners,
our ship's sole survivors
in this belly of a whale.
It's ribs are ceiling beams.
It's guts are carpeting.
I guess we've some time to kill."
As you can see, we’ve got some pretty big plans, but we’ve already come a long way in laying the foundation. We’ve got a demo available on our website that we well be continuing to update with new content throughout the duration of the kickstarter.
We've also started development on a mobile version of the game. The movement mechanics really seem to work well with multitouch so we are pretty excited for this one.
We just launched on steam greenlight as well so if you like the game please vote for us there:
We are also attending PAX East this year, so if you are in the Boston area during the convention stop by our booth and you can give the game a try and chat with us in person.
We absolutely can not finish the game without your help.
We plan to release the final game at the end of the year, so what we really need now is a whole lot of art and little help covering licensing costs. This is where you come in.
Every single person who backs us will get their name in the credits and our sincere gratitude. Thanks for reading and thanks for being a part of Grabbles.
Risks and challenges
Our biggest risk right now is running out of money to pay artists. Creating an engaging and highly interactive world depends so much on having skilled artists on the team. It would be impossible to create the game we are trying to make without their help, but quality work does not come cheap.
There is also the chance that the consoles decide not to accept us, or we are unable to cover the licensing fees. Luckily we can always fall back to the Windows, Linux, Mac, and mobile builds, so even if we don't end up on the playstation store or xbox arcade the game will still be released to many other platforms.
Of course if our campaign does get funded most of these problems go away as almost all of the funding will be going straight to art and licensing fees.
One of your biggest challenges has been getting the game to run on mobile devices, but we've come a long way already. There are one or two issues left that are holding us up from releasing a demo, but we don't foresee any problems getting the final game out.
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Funding period
- (30 days)