Akimbot is a 3D action-adventure platformer from the studio Evil Raptor and it features a robot duo and guns. Sound familiar? I got hands-on with Akimbot at Summer Game Fest and spoke with Nicolas Meyssonnier, Founder of Evil Raptor and Lead on Akimbot after the event to explore the game’s inspirations, characters, and reception so far.
I was intrigued by the game’s unique title, Akimbot, and I wanted to hear more about the story behind it. Nicolas explained, “This was the first name we came up with because a dual gun was our main weapon at the beginning of development, and we were playing as two robots, Exe and Shipset.” Although the robot duo became the focus of the game, Nicolas says there’s another reason, “but it is a narrative one, so I’ll let you discover by playing.”
Akimbot draws inspiration from classic PS2-era platformers such as Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank. While it carries that nostalgia, Nicolas and the Evil Raptor team aims to create games using the latest technology and innovations in gameplay.
“My main goal is for people to “relive” the feelings they had as children by creating an atmosphere and mood that makes them nostalgic, while also staying at the top of the technology and continually reinventing gameplay mechanics.”
Players will be surprised to hear that both protagonists, Exe and Shipset, are voiced by Reece Bridger in the English version. Reece was also the dialogue writer for Evil Raptor’s previous game, Pumpkin Jack, and is helping with the writing for Akimbot. “This made him the perfect person to deeply understand our main characters,” said Nicolas. The relationship between Exe and Shipset starts rocky, but will evolve “as they get to know each other better and face challenges bigger than themselves.”
Evil Raptor released a playable demo for Akimbot this month for Steam Next Fest and so far the team views it as a positive success and is using the feedback to tweak the game before its official launch.
“It’s always very interesting to finally receive feedback from people we don’t know because this is when we see if all our years of work are actually enjoyed by players. We’re still hard at work fixing and tweaking the game to address the most persistent feedback and make Akimbot the best game it can be!”
Akimbot is slated for an August 29, 2024 release on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 and is developed by Evil Raptor and published by Plaion.
