GDC 2014: 1337's new adventure platformer Leo's Fortune is beautiful and strange
12I hadn't heard of Leo's Fortune, and on the basis of a quick Google search I'm pretty sure that you too were unaware of it before clicking on this headline. It's the latest game from Senri, and 1337 Game Design, which previously brought us Devil's Attorney. And it's looking very nice indeed.
You play as Leo, a hairy Russian ball on a mission to recover his stolen gold and 'catch a culprit'. You get around the physics-laden world by bouncing, making yourself light to jump, and making yourself heavy, Tiny Wings-style.
Getting around involves pressing switches, tipping planks on their fulcrums, blowing yourself up to brace your flubbery little body in narrow channels, swinging structures around on their pinions to make bridges and remove obstructions, increasing your density to get extra height from springboards, and so on.
I only had a chance to play it with a physical controller, but the controls were slick and responsive and the physics were gratifyingly hefty. It's the presentation that really stands out, however. The writing is urbane and humorous, the design is varied and atmospheric, and on a technical level the graphics are almost photorealistically crisp and detailed. Just watch the video.
Leo's Fortune is coming to iOS and Android in mid-April, and it's going to be premium, with no in-app purchases initially.