Violent Serenity: Battle for Discord is an indie project on Kickstarter looking to marry the two different schools of fighting games together and get them to bury the hatchet. Will it work? We’re not sure, but the plan is to allow players to have a fighting game that can be swapped between the 2D planes that fighters like Street Fighter follow, and the 3D of fighters like Tekken.
This can happen anytime during the course of a match, as the switch apparently triggers when you’ve edged yourself far away enough towards the edge of the screen. You can, however, hold on to a button to prevent the switch from happening automatically. Made in Unity, the proof-of-concept video shows off Aaron, an ice user, as they transition the camera between a side-view “2D” angle and the more free-form 3D camera angle.
Both methods of playing offer exactly what you’d expect if you were playing a similar fighter that fits the camera mode. So 2D fights are on a flat plane and you slide to-or-away from foes, while 3D allows you to run around the stage and even potentially miss your attacks.
The 3D side seems to be the more fleshed out currently, however, with the ability to pick up and throw environmental objects such as boxes, and even being able to smash through the floor and swap game stages through environmental effect damage. Although, this looks like it can be done to a point with the 2D camera mode as well.
Violent Serenity is not asking for much, just $3000, and if successful promises the first six characters, several stages and “lots of hats”. Their stretch goal of $4,500 will net buyers online multiplayer. Characters will have their own special abilities and moves, which the devs have said they hope to make “larger than life”. Aaron, for instance, can charge up his ice attacks to do different types of special attacks, including a massive super attack. Two other characters that have a little bit of light shed on them include Lilith, a “bipolar” demon who fights with yo-yo’s, claws and changes her style of attack depending on her mood, as well as Silver Mantis, a kung-fu master of the Praying Mantis style who uses stun mines, grappling guns and twin hooks.
It is also rather cheap. A $5 backing gets you the game as well as access to the beta, which the devs have stated in a reply they are looking to put out possibly as early as end March to early April.
The big question is, how well the camera gimmick will work if it goes multiplayer. Violent Serenity: Battle for Discord is tentatively set for a 2014 release on PC and Mac and at time of press has 18 days to go with only about $250 out of a requested $3000 contributed by backers.
