Solo developer Baardmoeder has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Turbo Turbo, an arcade hybrid combining retro racing with on-rails shooting. The project grew out of an earlier prototype for a game based on the 1980s M.A.S.K. franchise that never made it past the pitch stage.
Developer Sjors Jansen originally created a short M.A.S.K. game concept using the same technology behind his Incremental Retro Racing. After the proposed licensed game failed to materialise, Jansen reworked the idea into an original game and pushed the concept considerably further.
The result is Turbo Turbo, described by Jansen as a fusion of Out Run and House of the Dead. Players race through disaster-struck environments while fighting off an alien invasion, combining driving, dodging and shooting in a single arcade-style game.
Local co-op splits those responsibilities between two players, with one taking care of the driving while the other handles the shooting. The game can also be played solo, with Baardmoeder citing Sin & Punishment as another point of reference.
Rather than following a fixed progression, players can choose the order in which they tackle the game’s different areas and bosses. Defeated bosses leave behind weapons that can subsequently be used by the player. Visually, Turbo Turbo uses pixel art alongside an optional customisable CRT filter.
Jansen previously worked as a programmer on games including Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: Underworld before eventually moving into solo development. Earlier this year, Baardmoeder also released Zwamman and Incremental Retro Racing.
The Kickstarter campaign launches with a funding target of €25,000 / $29,000. An early-bird digital copy is available for €10 / $12, with the regular Kickstarter tier priced at €15 / $17. Console versions are currently planned as a potential stretch goal.
The trailer below gives a first look at Turbo Turbo’s unusual mixture of racing and on-rails shooting.
