Beat-’em-up games are in short supply these days. Most are Brazilian-made spawns from the OpenBOR project, while the rest are scatterings of remakes, remasters, redos, or re-sequels from existing franchises. Very rarely do we get quality made beat-’em-up titles, and even rarer than that do we get NSFW beat-’em-up titles that can stand the test of time alongside greats such as Phantom Breakers EX, Crime Fighters, Super Double Dragon or Streets of Rage.
Well, one developer is currently attempting to challenge the status quo by working on a sexy new beat-’em-up title tentatively named Project Heat.
The game is still very, very early on in the development process, but the groundwork for the style and characters have already been laid and snippets of progress have been posted on Twitter to show fans what they can expect from the project.
Light->medium->heavy chain attack. Your basic bread and butter to start more advanced combos from.#screenshotsaturday #pixelart pic.twitter.com/iGirBgdlWh
— ProjectHeat (@ProjectHeat1) July 11, 2020
The lead protagonist is a pixie-cut sporting hottie named Victoria with thigh-high tights, sneakers, a red sports bra, a cropped jacket, and the hottest pair of open-button short-shorts this side of Thotsagram.
The pixel artwork looks fantastic. It’s nostalgic but with all the right qualities to make for a great 2D beat-’em-up if used with the right kind of game engine. PBR and dynamic lighting could do wonders, especially if there are moody, grime-filled streets to pummel your way through, or back-alleys to brawl out of while flickering lights attached to rusty street lamps loom overhead like wind-cackling trees in a shadowy forest.
In some ways the art reminds me of a chibi-version of the late 1990s and early 2000s versions of SNK’s King of Fighters series. Victoria looks a little bit like a gender-bent version of K’ (pronounced K-Dash) fused with Angel. If the game has a solid line-up of villains to down, a nice helping of combos, a slew of techniques to master, and enough leeway for dodging/blocking/parrying, then this could easily be one to watch for.
If you want to follow the development of Project Heat be sure to check out the official Twitter account for frequent updates.