The internet is an odd place, to say the least, but it’s the embrace of that oddity that makes it so fun. Look at the recent viral success of indie gameHandcop, a project currently being made byBossa Studiosdeveloper Jeff Ramos in his free time.Handcopis, essentially, a comedy shooter featuring a protagonist that is literally a walking, talking hand with a gun. And that oddness exactly what’s helpedHandcopattain a surprising new level of attention online, due to a now-viral gif of theHandcopin motion.
Earlier this week, Ramos shared a gif of hisHandcoprender on the /r/gaming subreddit. It’s one ofReddit’s most popular video game-focused subreddits, but it’s largely dedicated to memes, jokes, and relatable anecdotes. TheHandcopgif landed with the subreddit’s readers, however, accruing an astonishing 101,000 upvotes. The post is very simple, too. The headline reads, “To [sic] lazy to animate the whole body” and the gif showsHandcopin a running animation, pinkie and ring finger working as legs, while wielding a pistol with his other fingers.
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Most of those who replied to Ramos' post thought it was, at best, a joke, albeit a funny one. The top comment says it’d be great if it was made into a fullfirst-person shooterfeaturing hands wielding big weapons. What most of them didn’t realize is thatHandcopreally is a full game, a project Ramos has been working on for over a year. The pinned post on Ramos' Twitter profile shows a video ofHandcoprunning through dark, neon-lighted alleyways shooting robots and dropping one-liner puns about being a hand.
In an interview with IGN, Ramos further described whatHandcopis all about. He explains that it’s a comedy shooter that’s sort of first-person and third-person at the same time. He says that the “shooting is for real here” and that the “headshots are superb.” The trailer showsHandcopslowing down time, leaping, and dodging, offering a sort ofSuperhot-style arcade experience where players build a multiplier and earn points as difficulty slowly increases. Ramos also plans to add stat-altering rings, melee combat, and additional weapons.
Ramos took a chance and shared hisHandcopidea in a large subreddit and it worked out wonderfully for him, just because of his inspired creativity. Sometimes all it takes is a gif to draw attention to anindie game project, potentially helping it thrive. That’s the nature of the internet, after all.
Of course, who’s to say how impactful aviral gifon Reddit will be forHandcop. Ramos is still working onHandcopin his spare time and it isn’t entirely clear how long he plans to continue working on the game before it’s finished.Handcopalso doesn’t have a Steam profile, so there’s no way for interested fans to wishlist the game. Still, at the very least, the walking hand with a gun will be that much more recognizable when Ramos shares more in the future.
Handcopis currently in development.
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