Kick Cancer's ass and raise money for sick kids in 'I, Hope'

Nazis, like zombies, are pretty much the perfect video game enemy because there are zero redeemable qualities about them. But those might have some competition now that there's a game where you fight cancer. Not literally, but an enemy named "Cancer" an in the Xbox One's forthcoming I, Hope from indie studio Arconyx. Lead developer Kenny Roy's mission with the ID@Xbox project is to help kids who are actually battling cancer in hospitals around the world to have a cathartic, figurative way to do it as well. More than offering therapy to kids, when it goes on sale next year, 100 percent of the profits generated from the game will go toward helping kids with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

"As much as I love shoot 'em ups, big explosions and arcade experiences, I believe that games can be so much more," Roy says in a post on Microsoft News Center. "There are real positive experiences to gain from gaming, and I wanted the public to experience that. With I, Hope, I want to move minds." In the game, Cancer is an evil creature on the warpath of protagonist Hope's home island. To defeat it, she has to travel through a quintet of floating islands gathering the tools she needs to defeat the foul beast.

Even by watching the work-in-progress trailer below, it's pretty clear that I, Hope is far different from another game the recently dealt with pediatric terminal illness, That Dragon Cancer. The latter is an autobiographical game about a family's struggle with their child's illness, whereas, as the name overtly suggests, I, Hope has a different perspective.

"I wanted to create a great game that was fun for everyone," Roy says, "while still delivering a powerful, meaningful message to kids struggling in hospitals around the world."