GDC08: Monster Lab: it's a lab -- for monsters
I was able to catch a demo of Backbone Entertainment's Monster Lab at the GDC Career Pavilion, which is mostly involved with game company recruiting, but features some game demos as a function of games being what game developers do. The game is almost completely different than previously assumed, and, in a way, more interesting. What may look like an online fighting game is in fact turn-based. It's important to note this, because the game looks so strongly fighter-like.
Monster Lab puts the player in the role of a new assistant mad scientist, who has to help her boss in a power struggle against other mad scientists -- by gathering and creating monster parts. The story is presented in a '50's sci-fi-movie opening and an introduction from your mad scientist boss (and his giant robot arm).
Parts have different attacks and attributes -- legs have various kick attacks and a "flee" command, while arms have punches, blade attacks, or projectiles based on their composition. Materials, which are alchemical, biological, or mechanical, vaguely resemble what they will become when they become parts -- sawblades, etc. All parts have a "madness" level, which, if it exceeds your madness level, is more uncontrollable. Parts then get synthesized via (brief, cute) minigames, and saved in your arsenal. You have heads, arms, torsos, and legs to choose from, in millions of combinations. The demo featured a skull-headed monster with a huge, muscular torso, one glowing lava-like arm, one mechanical saw arm, and tree-root legs.
The story mode takes you (and your monster) through six worlds in a series of missions ranging from finding a character to, well, fighting. The overworld is Zelda II meets Super Mario Bros. 3, with routes between areas on the map patrolled by monsters who trigger battle scenes. The turn-based combat involves choosing a part to attack with each turn, which will automatically target an enemy's part. Depending on the attack's effectiveness, the enemy will glow brighter red. Battles are won in one of two ways: either depleting the health of the enemy's torso, or knocking off all of an enemy monster's appendages.
Though it's based on parts and not cards, I got the distinct feeling that the online dueling makes the game something like Pokemon meets Phantom Dust. With so much customization, this game designed for 8-to-12-year-olds may end up having more than enough depth for an adult audience.
