Griff the Winged Lion is a love letter to Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, having players run toward the screen to get away from huge rolling tiki masks, glide around as they platform, shove blocks to solve puzzles, rough up enemies in melee-based 3D combat, and collect all of the loot and items they can touch.
Griff the Winged Lion’s title character finds himself without a destiny when a wizard was supposed to give him one. To figure out what the furry prince is supposed to be doing with his life, he’ll embark on a journey across ten different kingdoms, enlisting the help of magical unicorns, overactive gargoyles, and courageous griffin pals (all who are playable characters) in order to see what his destiny is.
Part of Griff’s destiny will involve using the cursed Midas Gloves, which turn anything they touch into gold. They can be used to paralyze enemies and turn them brittle, letting Griff smash them, and will also be used for puzzles that can be solved by making offerings of gold or altering object weights. They can also help him break open areas of the map that will unveil secret collectibles and other useful things.
The 3D platforming gameplay of Griff the Winged Lion is nostalgic for the PSX/N64 era, but its developers are also concentrating on ensuring the game has a similar look to that era as well. They will not endure the same limitations games had from back then, but will emulate their appearance while offering modern enhancements that will ensure something that looks old but plays new.
A demo is available for Griff the Winged Lion from the game’s Kickstarter campaign.
