Preview: Children of Liberty

Seems like a really interesting concept, the art style reminds me of Stacking from Double Fine.  I can’t wait to try this game next weekend.

Lantana Games, an independent game development studio, will be at PAX East next weekend, March 22 to March 24, showing off their hand-animated, 2.5D stealth game, Children of Liberty.

Referred to by Rock Paper Shotgun as having “absolutely gorgeous-looking 2D/3D stealth,” Children of Liberty follows the antics of four kid spies for the colonial patriots in the final hours leading up to the American Revolutionary War. The entire Lantana Games development team will be on hand in Booth 183 to talk to fans and show attendees, answer questions, and give away Desura codes for the game’s current alpha build.

Children of Liberty is a stealth-based platformer which takes place on the eve of the American Revolution. You play as one of four kids on a mission to break their parents out of jail and warn the countryside of the pending Redcoat attack. Players have various tools at their disposal depending on the character they play, including Toy Swords, Grappling Yoyos, and Smoke Bombs, while playing in a visually-compelling colonial Boston environment.

Children of Liberty places a heavy emphasis on stealth-based gameplay, allowing the player to hide in shadows and pop out when the time is right; meanwhile remaining true to the core of classic 2D platformers like Pitfall and Mega Man, but in a fully realized and navigable 3D world. The game art is striking, evoking the hey-day of pop animation.

Lantana Games has launched a new Children of Liberty game trailer to coincide with PAX East. The update includes major additions to the game’s stealth mechanics, AI, 3D aspects, and hundreds of new frames of animation. Special attention has been given to the game’s stealth mechanics in order to craft methodical gameplay. Players can hide against any wall, perform takedowns on Redcoat patrols, peek around corners in the game’s full 3D environment, and use knocked-out Redcoats to lure others to their location.