gamescom 2017: Cosmic Kites Preview

At gamescom 2017, I had the opportunity to check out some upcoming games from a host of Swedish developers. Joining in for some local-party fun, I checked out Cosmic Kites from Fishmoose Interactive.

To start, Cosmic Kites isn’t your run of the mill party game. It is wholeheartedly, a refreshing take on the classic Snake title originally found on our bulky, smartless mobile phones from back in the day. This new creative edition is coming to Steam with a focus on four player, local, all-out, party gaming. So make sure you have controllers ready for this one.

Unlike the monochrome design of classic Snake, Cosmic Kites is brightly coloured, with a stylish twist as you take control of your distinctive animal spirit. These animals range from dragons, birds, squids, moose and more.

The aim of the game is to take flight and navigate through the playing field, avoiding other players’ steadily elongating tails. The objective is the last player standing. Sounds easy, but you’d be surprised as even the tiniest tap, nudge, or bash against an opponent's tail will knock you out. As they say though, what goes around comes around. So, by being creative and quick at manoeuvring you can turn the tables and become victorious.

The main objective is to be the last player alive, there are an added variety of pickups that can turn the tide through the game session. The pickups include energy beams, exploding plasma balls and spiky shields, to name a few. By collecting offensive and defensive pickups, you can fight back or protect yourself from the danger of other players. If all else fails, you can use a handy teleport ability to for a quick getaway - as long as it doesn’t put you in further danger as it requires cooldown after use.

While the threat of opposing players is one thing; it isn’t only thing looming on the playing field. Included are additional game modes which you can challenge yourself and others too. Each mode offers a variety of different game changers with the addition of deathly obstacles. These can vary from randomly placed shards of spikes that either expand in different directions or form a pillar of spikes blocking your path. If that wasn’t enough, you can even customise your own game mode for yourself playing solo, or for the ultimate deathmatch party game.

With a simple set of controls, anyone can pick-up and play. You have three buttons and you're constantly moving forward, so all you need to worry about is manoeuvring, collecting pickups, and using them. As explained by the developers: Cosmic Kites is easy to pick up - hard to master. And even if that is cliched, after my time with the game I’d say they’re right.

Cosmic Kites is now available on Steam alongside a free demo and it is well worth checking out, especially for those wanting more local-party games on PC.