[HTML1]

Few video game titles can sum up their contents as simply and succinctly as Basement Crawl. From developer Bloober Team, a young indie studio working out of Krakow, Poland, Basement Crawl appears to tell the tale of a grandmother and child trapped within the confines of a frightening cellar locale. Beyond their little hideaway exists a Blade-Runner-esque assortment of creepy, "living" dolls, whose combative quarrels form the basis of the game's action.

The title first appeared on industry radars late last month, courtesy of an unsettling teaser trailer that recalled news stories of in-house imprisonment. Whether the grandmother involved is less jailer and more captive is unknown, as is her eventual fate (the trailer suggests the woman involved is killed), though her gruesome death could provide the impetus for the youngster's own escape.

With the game's 2013 release date now pending, Bloober Team has unveiled a brand-new set of screenshots, highlighting the game's various Bomberman-like levels. These stages, ranging from dank crime-scene alleyways to circus-style arenas share a common gridded pattern, overlaid with various permanent, and semi-permanent obstructions.

Gameplay in Basement Crawl revolves around the setting of traps, tasking players with ensnaring and eviscerating unwary opponents - be they online friends or single-player bots. The game also employs a unique 2.5D presentation, allowing players to shift viewing positions at will. Other notable features include:

  • 8-player PSN multiplayer
  • 4-player local multiplayer
  • 4 character classes, each boasting unique special powers
  • 9 arenas
  • Online leaderboards, party-chat functionality, Trophies and more

[gallery columns="2" link="file" ids="208913,208914,208915,208916,208917,208918"]

Judging by these latest images, playable characters appear to include a wheelchair-bound mannequin, killer clown, shirtless overweight woman and teddy bear/porcelain doll combo. Super Mario this certainly isn't then, but cute and cuddly aren't what Bloober Team had in mind, instead likening their title to grindhouse horror movies and the PlayStation 2's seminal shocker Manhunt. Given the lack of a longhaired little girl in any of these screenshots - aka the 'victim' character glimpsed briefly in the teaser trailer -  it remains to be seen just how the title's apparent narrative will end up gelling with the in-game action. Perhaps, like Bioshock Infinite's Elizabeth, herself a long-time captive, this nameless child can manipulate her surroundings, or take control of the creatures themselves. Gamers will have their chance to find out when the game debuts later this year.

Are you up for a hardcore, macabre take on the Bomberman grid battle? Is the story of a seemingly imprisoned child too dark for a madcap multiplayer title? Have you say in the comments below, and be sure to check in with all of the latest PlayStation 4 news, right here on Game Rant.

___

Basement Crawl is scheduled to arrive sometime in 2013. The game is exclusive to the PlayStation Network.

Follow Sam on Twitter @GamingGoo.