GDC Next 2014: Hands-on with Klaus, a twisted new platformer headed to PS Vita
Klaus Was Alone... or was he?
We got our first look at Klaus, from Venezuelan indie studio La Cosa Entertainment, back in September.
Its announcement trailer teased the mystery of the game's narrative (who and where is Klaus, and why?), but revealed minimal gameplay.
Still, the sharp and cinematic aesthetic was enough to grab my attention, so I made sure to seek out Klaus on the Expo Floor at GDC Next.
Klaus is like a sinister Thomas Was Alone.
You play as Klaus, who wakes up in a basement with no memory of his past.
As you move Klaus through the game's stylized world, annotations appear to narrate his gradual recollection.
The opening area contains a lot of running, jumping, and operating platform mechanisms and elevators; typical side-scroller shenanigans, but still very engaging thanks to the creeping meta narrative under it all.
Eventually, Klaus teams up with another person, named K1. Klaus and K1's different size and abilities come in handy when navigating the mechanical underworld together.
I won't spoil the "twist" of the demo, even though it's not a huge surprise, but I will say that the game's "gimmick" manifests in more interesting ways than merely driving the plot.
It aims for the same twisted comedy of games like The Stanley Parable, but also pulls from German expressionist film.
The whole game is an existential crisis occurring in an unfriendly world inspired by constructivist art, so it's not hard to see the influence.
Klaus also plays very smoothly so far, on both PlayStation 4 and the Vita, making interesting use of touch controls on both platforms.
According to the developer, they've strived to reach the kind of fluid maneuverability of platformers like Super Meat Boy. While few games reach that kind of technical excellence, Klaus does its job well.
The developers also spoke to me a bit about what is in store for Klaus in later levels, beyond what the demo reveals.
Expect non-linear level design, they said, Metroidvania-style. Oh, and expect lots of fourth wall breaking too.
Klaus is headed to Playstation 4 and PS Vita in June or July 2015. If you're at GDC Next, you can find Klaus at Booth TT4 on the Expo Floor.
