What do Earthbound, Ratchet and Clank, LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway all have in common? At first glance, nothing but "video games" comes to mind. Newly-developed indie studio Foam Sword, comprised of former Media Molecule and Insomniac Games developers, Rex Crowle and Moo Yu, hopes to change that with their recently announced title Knights and Bikes.
Knights and Bikes is the story of two young girls on a quest to save their home -- the island of Penfurzy. A legendary relic, the island's tourist incentive, is proven to be fake. Nessa and Demelza, along with Captain Honkers the Goose and a great hero with a tiny head who calls himself the Pickle Knight go on a quest to help the island's citizens, defeat the spirits, and save their home.
Foam Sword has stated that Knights and Bikes is inspired by their childhoods and memorable things that have impacted their lives, specifically Earthbound and The Goonies. At first glance, Earthbound's influence on Knights and Bikes is a bit difficult to recognize, but further digging makes it incredibly obvious. The game takes place on an island in the 80s, and the player is simply a regular kid that goes out and fights paranormal creatures with only some friends and a domestic pet to help out. If that doesn't scream Earthbound, then I don't know what does.
For now, Knights and Bikes is simply a dream on Kickstarter. Provided the game reaches its goal of approximately $143,000, it is set to launch on PC, Mac, and Linux in April 2017.
Okay, so they had me at Art & Design Book so I might just end up donating for that.