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After working on triple-A titles like Twisted Metal and God of War for decades, prolific developer David Jaffe decided to take a step back and refocus his priorities. He started up a new studio and promised that the titles his new outfit delivered would be markedly different from past endeavors. They would still be David Jaffe games in spirit, but they would not be massive affairs.
At the PlayStation Experience last weekend, Jaffe gave gamers their first look at his newest project, Drawn to Death. The short trailer that accompanied the reveal showed that Drawn to Death is a multiplayer arena shooter with an art style meant to mimic the drawings of a high school teenager.
For a first look, Drawn to Death had plenty of appealing qualities. The way Jaffe & Co use the art style to create gameplay mechanics is clever, and the gleefully bloody death animations felt like the type of stuff players would expect from the guy behind Twisted Metal.
However, many gamers did not see much in Drawn to Death that enticed them. But rather than keep those thoughts to themselves – who does that these days anyway? - these gamers took to the forums and comments sections to voice their hate for the game. They criticized the art style, the multiplayer focus, and the 4-player limit, and were not kind to Jaffe either. One commenter even thought the game was a ripoff of Splatoon.
But, as one of the most vocal members of the development community, Jaffe is not one to take criticism lightly. When his Twisted Metal reboot received modest reviews, Jaffe made sure critics knew his thoughts, and with Drawn to Death he's done the same. However, Jaffe's choice of outlet this time around is much more clever.
As readers can see in the video at the top of the post, Jaffe has a clear message for those who shared strong negative opinions of Drawn to Death. We won't repeat it, but let's just say the message is already a trending hashtag.
Having not played Drawn to Death, it's hard to say whether current criticisms of the game are valid. Since the trailer carries the usual “pre-alpha gameplay footage” qualifier it's also difficult to say anything negative about the art style either. A lot could change between now and release.
Then again, gamers typically have a good bead on a title well before it releases. They know what will do well and what will likely fail. Sure, there are plenty of surprises in between, but sometimes early negative press can eventually influence sales. But we hope for Jaffe's sake, he is able to make believers out of everyone.
What did you think of the Drawn to Death trailer? Do you think some of the criticisms are valid?
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Source: Drawn to Death
Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina