It’s the 1980’s/1990’s so really, anything goes.
Even conniving VHS store owners that distribute alien-infested cleaner tapes to unsuspecting cinephiles; one such unassuming TV-addict being Joe, who between mouthfuls of Cheetos and gulps of Diet Pepsi, has more than a healthy affection for the likes of Jurassik Land, Grojira and AL|EN.
As you can tell he isn’t too glad that the critters, you & your friends actually, are out to ruin his prized tapes with a vengeance. Epic Loon takes you through four of Joe’s favorite tapes, the three and aforementioned and Nosferacula, making for 350 wholesome levels.
The goal of which lies in escaping from and sabotaging movie sequences before their end in Story/4-player Co-op Mode, or in beating them as quickly as possible in 2-4 player local multiplayer Battles.
Progress within the former unlocks levels for the latter, while the combined offering of Hardcore, Multiplayer Speedruns and Multiplayer Battle modes are touted as properly nerve-wracking, dynamic and demanding.
The real highlight of this Macrales Studios neo-retro ode to classic Hollywood however, lies in its diligent attempts at authenticity; from simulating cathode ray television displays to image jumping/glitches, each of Joe’s movies have been divided into manifold sequences/levels that also happen to be effective parodies of their real-world counterparts.
Sequences are further interspersed with 3D physics-based environments, that players can exploit by either of jumping, swinging/catapulting and latching onto objects while Joe aims to zap them with a remote TV control.
Even the interactive main menu system features a real-life television set, genuine VHS tapes of Joe’s favorites, catalogs and hand movements, all recorded by the team’s video guy at the home of an artist’s great grandma apparently.
Voiceovers by very American actors and sounds by the Rococo core band of Pyrapism; all-in-all a thoroughly bizarre experience that arrives 28th June on Steam, the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
