Hauntiihas made a splash over the past year, and it had an in-depth feature during this year’s Summer Game Fest’s Day of the Devs that left a lasting impression on players. Moonloop Games' newindie titlehas a lot to offer featuring a one-of-a-kind art style and an ambient soundtrack, but a stand-out feature is its unique take on the classic twin-stick shooter mechanic. Players who want to dive into this highly stylized world can wishlist the game now on Steam.
Game Rant spoke with Moonloop Games studio founder and game designer Leo Dasso about his love for the twin-stick shooter genre and how this classic shooter mechanic found its way into the combat and world design ofHauntii.
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Hauntii Is a New Take on the Classic Twin Stick Shooter
Hauntiiis a puzzle/shooter hybrid currently in development by Moonloop Games. It’s a cohesive package featuring a clean, monochromatic art style, a chill soundtrack composed by LightReturn, and a slew of gameplay mechanics ranging from solving puzzles by haunting the environment to seeking out bits of the titular character’s past to understand who they once were. One notable feature that stands out among a slew of other creative mechanics isits use of twin-stick shooting, taking a classic mechanic and dropping it into a brand-new context.
When asked what inspired him to go down the route of twin-stick shooter, the answer that Dasso shared was simple: he has always loved twin-stick shooters. With one of his favorite games beingGeometry Wars—which he believes is one of the best twin sticks ever made—it was a natural choice to implement that kind of mapping intoHauntiiwhen it came time to design the shooting mechanic.
“I’m a huge fan ofGeometry Wars, which is, in my opinion, one of the best designed twin sticks ever made. I think those games are fantastic, but withHauntii, it doesn’t really fit the subject matter or the mood of the game.”
In general, Dasso feels the design of twin sticks feels more intuitive which is in part why he liked the idea of using it as a feature so much. Rather than relying on the more contemporary mapping of pulling a trigger to aim and pressing a button to shoot, twin sticks rely simply on using one joystick to maneuver the character while the other joystick is used to shoot in the direction the stick is aimed.
That being said, Dasso clarifies thatHauntiidoesn’t rely solely onthe twin-stick mechanic to shoot. In fact, the game includes both shooting designs depending on the context of the mechanic. Hauntii’s main skill is haunting which uses the twin-stick mechanic to fill objects in the map with enough essence to possess them, and depending on the enemy type, the game also features the modern trigger to aim, button to shoot functionality which Dasso likens to the feeling of shooting a revolver.
“There are some creatures where you actually do have to pull the trigger to shoot … There’s this feeling when you pull the trigger. It’s very weighty, so I wanted to at least capture that kind of thing.”
Despite the inclusion of the twin-stick mechanic,Hauntiiis quite different from classic games of the genre. When asked about some challenges the team faced during development, Dasso shared that one of the biggest roadblocks they faced was having to temper potential players' expectations. Typically,twin sticks are fast-paced, action-packedshooting adventures—two qualities that the game doesn’t share with others within the genre, and this quality is exactly what sets it apart from other games of the same genre.
Hauntii’sability to touch players with a slow-burn character backstory nestled within casual exploration andcreative puzzle-solvingwhile borrowing the classic twin-stick shooting mechanic is a feat that most twin sticks don’t achieve, and it’s exactly what makes the game a one-of-a-kind experience worth playing.
Hauntiiis available to wishlist now on Steam, and players can look forward to its release on console and PC in 2024.
