Boiling Bolt

Boiling Bolt for PC, PS4 and XONE is a unique arcade game blending classic side-scroll shooter mechanics with modern 3D visuals. The production was created French studio Persistant Studios, whose main designer is Jérémie Thomas, former freelancer and Ubisoft associate. The game's development was also supported by a French government agency CNC, which promotes cinema and other audiovisual arts.

Mechanics

The mechanics of Boiling Bolt are based on classic side-scroll shooters, in which you constantly move to one side of the screen, eliminating encountered opponents. The ship you pilot is equipped with four varied weapons, and to succeed and defeat different enemies you have to properly use each of them. You can also slow down time, which can help you catch your breath and avoid the enemy fire.

The production is unique, however, because it combines 2D game mechanics with a detailed 3D world, consisting of islands drifting in space. Those islands are filled with various constructions, such as wooden pagodas, metal barriers or expansive pipe networks. The world, which is the battlefield for the mages and technomancers, blends fantasy and cyberpunk, resembling the scenery from George Miller's Mad Max movies.

Game mode

Boiling Bolt for PC, PS4 and XONE features a singleplayer mode and a co-op mode for two players. In the latter, your and your partner's ships are linked by an electric stream, which destroys the enemies in its range.

Technical aspects

At first, Boiling Bolt utilized the Unity engine, but later the developers switched to the advanced Unreal Engine 4, which enhanced the visuals. The game also uses the original Persistant technology called PopcornFX, which generated spectacular special effects. Curiously, even though the studio was inexperienced when it comes to classic shooters, they decided that this genre would be the best to showcase the potential of their technology. During the development process, the team also analyzed the most popular productions in the genre and the players' opinions, which heavily affected the final product.

Last updated on 05 December 2017