Well howdy-do! Thanks for coming back to our little blog here on the world wide web as we continue to take a nostalgic look back at our origins 10 years down the trail. Today I’m going to tell you all about Big Action Mega Fight – the first game created by the newly formed Double Stallion team, and one we’re awfully proud of!
It all started with our four founders, a small Montreal office, and an ambition to create a memorable game with a slick and distinct identity. From making mods to completing and self-publishing their first complete indie game, the team set out to take their accumulated experience as game developers to the next level.
With the bold, playful, animated energy of the newly formed Double Stallion identity guiding their way, a goal was set to create an approachable yet action-packed game that harkened back to the simplicity of retro gaming.
Immediately, our Creative Director Eric Angelillo gravitated toward the games he treasured from his youth – classic beat ’em up titles like Turtles in Time, Double Dragon, and Streets of Rage. The common threads the team hoped to channel from these inspirations were the fast-paced action, simple controls, and a satisfying moment-to-moment gameplay experience.
The team worked tirelessly to design a unique look and feel for the game’s characters and aesthetic to make it visually stand apart from the beat ‘em ups it sought to reference. The team finally settled on the look we see in the final game – colourful, cartoony, and full of comedic personality.
One of the most critical parts of designing the game’s look was to create an iconic main character who could stand out among the sea of other beat ’em up protagonists and become a recognizable face of the game. Someone who exudes mascot-style charisma and embodies the game’s bold and playful energy. He needed to be visually distinct while still meshing with the rest of the characters.
The team eventually settled on Brick Strongarm, a beefcake-of-a-man based on a subtle blend of Super Mario, Axel from Streets of Rage, and Hulk Hogan, with an extra dash of Macho Man Randy Savage added for his outrageous vocal persona.
With the main character’s design locked in, the team began work on the combat system, which had to be as engaging as the game’s visuals. To add to the game’s selection of classic beam ‘em punch, kick and uppercut combos, a variety of ridiculous specials were also added to spice up the combat and knock the game’s energy up a few more notches.
These special abilities ranged from powerful punches and kicks to absurd super moves. Standouts include the Fist of The Heavens, which summons a massive fist from the sky to smash enemies, and Poultry Rain, a devastatingly powerful move that calls forth a flurry of exploding chicken-bomb hybrids. The result was an action-packed, over-the-top combat system that perfectly complemented the game’s bold and playful energy.
The game’s sleek, hand-drawn visuals and exaggerated, high-impact combat resulted in a potent formula that would live on through many of the studio’s follow-up games. As a first effort for the studio, Big Action Mega Fight was a fantastic early opportunity for the team to establish an identity for the studio that would continue to evolve and expand along with the team.
Now, 10 years later, we’re ready to build upon that foundation and take things even further! Thanks for taking the time to join us on this trip down memory lane, and I hope you’ll stick with us for the exciting things to come! Until next time, see you later on down the trail! 🐴🐴
