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PAX Prime 2015: Rocketcat Games is Closer to Finishing ‘Death Road to Canada’, ‘Dad by the Sword’, and ‘Five Card Quest’

Death Road to Canada is coming! It seriously is still happening despite extensive delays; I played it at the Rocketcat booth at PAX Prime 2015! This was another game that was demoed on PC with a controller, but as it’s running on the Punch Quest (Free) engine and uses just movement and 3 action buttons, it should be an ideal mobile fit – Kepa Auwae says that you can expect Wayward Souls ($7.99) style controls. And speaking of that, expect an update with new stuff like the Paladin character class (with a brutal new mode) along with the PC version of Wayward Souls in January or so.

As for Death Road to Canada, the Kickstarter backers should be getting the game in October or so, with the game getting a few final months of work before it releases on Steam, with mobile shortly afterward. The game is a roguelike-inspired action game, where you and a band of survivors try to make it to Canada, fighting zombies and dealing with a variety of random events along the way. It’ll have plenty of the goofy and macabre humor that Rocketcat is known for, and plenty of secret characters will be available. We can confirm that Santa Claus is a secret character that can appear – and you may just be able to turn him into Evil Santa. Also available is the puncher from Punch Quest. Punching is normally a bad idea in the game; the puncher might just have something to say about that.

If you’ve seen the Dad by the Sword live-action trailer (embedded below), and follow Rocketcat, you might be aware of a live-action trailer made for Death Road to Canada as well. It hasn’t quite seen the light, but word is you might get to see it for yourself soon enough…

As for Dad by the Sword, right now it’s targeting desktop and consoles, but a mobile version is potentially in the cards. The idea right now is that while there will be a virtual joystick for movement, you’ll just swipe on the screen to slash your sword about. There might need to be some adjustments, as the desktop version lets you aim without swinging, and as your sword goes flaccid if you use it too much, you’ll want to be careful. Still, that feels like a problem that can be solved for a mobile adaptation.

It’s definitely a much different game from other Rocketcat titles, maybe if only because it’s their first 3D game. It’s got plenty of goofiness, as you can directionally-slash enemies to cut off limbs, and rocket jump with a sword by slashing the ground. It’s a roguelike with loot and random enemies to fight, and I’m interested to see if the experience works well on mobile, not to mention how it shakes out as a long-term experience. Will the game’s goofiness hold up over time? Also, they need to change the game-over text from “YOU ARE DEAD" to “YOU ARE DAD." Come on, Rocketcat.

Rocketcat’s Five Card Quest is also still in the works, but a bit on the back burner as they continue to work on it and sort out the game. Still, you should hopefully expect this one soon enough. Rocketcat is spinning a lot of plates and they’re trying to get at least one game out this year, with more early next year. We’ll see just when they all release, but there’s definitely plenty to look forward to from the developers of some of the best games on iOS.