Developer Fuzzy Wuzzy has announced that its space-themed puzzle platformer Armillo, which was originally planned for release through Xbox Live Arcade, is now aiming for a release on the Wii U eShop later this year.
The game – which is described as an action-oriented experience where you control Armillo, a cute space armadillo, around spherical worlds to battle enemies, solve puzzles, and navigate your way through different kinds of terrain – is still a work in progress but the developer has apparently received the official go-ahead from Nintendo to begin development for Wii U.
http://youtu.be/r80ut0R6eYs
As the developers themselves explain in a video blog post (you can see the full thing below), the game is in the process of shifting from its original XNA engine over to the Wii U-friendly Unity. As part of the transition the team claims the game’s visuals and mechanics will be getting a total overhaul and the finished product will look “a lot better” than the gameplay footage that’s been floating around for the last few years.
Even a look at the XNA build shows a game with quite a bit of promise though, the gameplay an intriguing mix of ideas and styles, with obvious inspiration from the likes of Marble Madness and Super Mario Galaxy combined with some unique platform puzzles.
Perhaps the most important takeaway from this news is that it seems to indicate Nintendo’s commitment to to delivering on claims that Wii U will be a system friendly to indie developers, where even games from tiny teams like Fuzzy Wuzzy have an equal shot at getting on the store.
Check out the video below to see the guys talk briefly about their plans for the game, and then hit the comments. Are you excited to get your hands on Armillo for Wii U? Are there other indie projects you’d like to see make the jump?
http://youtu.be/R0soGcVT05s
