Dustforce devs reveal Spire, a skillful, exploratory FPS

Remember Dustforce? It was Hitbox Team’s take on a score-attack platformer, in which you took control of various nimble janitors and had to ‘sweep up’ all the collectible bits of detritus on a given level. The emphasis was on tight control and skillful play, and this ethos appears to be carrying over to the team’s newly-announced project, Spire.

Spire will be an FPS, but one that will challenge players to use skillful, innovative play to ascend as high as possible in procedurally generated levels. According to Hitbox, the proposed control/movement scheme will feel “snappy like Dustforce, incorporating walljumps, wall sliding, and other advanced techniques.” Leaderboards will be present, with a standardised “weekly Spire” that players can show off their skills on.

Hitbox’s attitude towards tone and atmosphere also sounds very encouraging: “Although Spire is a fantasy game, we don’t want people to think of goblins and elves. One thing we’ve talked about a lot as a team is the opportunity to come up with non-standard creatures and items. When players encounter a new enemy, it should feel like a frightening and unfamiliar thing.”

You can (and should) read more about Spire at the Hitbox blog, where the developers will be posting periodic updates about the game (which is said to be “a long time from completion” at present, alas.)

Source: RockPaperShotgun