Sunset Overdrive Gameplay Video is Crazy-Pants

Fun over realism. That’s the motto Insomniac Games has chosen for their upcoming action/adventure game Sunset Overdrive, and a new gameplay trailer shows us this principle in action. Glorious, bonkers action.

Guiding us through our tour of the fictional Sunset City are Ted Price, CEO and founder of Insomniac, Marcus Smith, Creative Director, and Drew Murray, the game’s director. They express their pure joy about the project and fill us in on some details about Sunset Overdrive. The main crux of the Saints Row/Jet Grind Radio hybrid is a dangerous energy drink called Overdrive Delirium XT. Customers who consume Fizzco’s newest beverage are often turned into hulking, zombified meat monsters whose main goals are procuring more Overdrive Delirium XT and killing the main character.

To battle against these monstrosities, players use an array of over-the-top weapons and acrobatic techniques. Performing stylish feats, like eliminating multiple enemies at once, switching weapons often during combat, or killing enemies while traversing the city’s many rails will build up your style meter, enabling upgraded abilities like the Twist of Fate, which sporadically turns a regular assault rifle into a nuclear warhead launcher, or the T.N.Teddy--a teddy bear-shaped explosive attack.

Sunset Overdrive’s unique, bizarre style is evident when players die, too. Instead of simply respawning, players regenerate in random, crazy ways, like emerging from the ground in a sarcophagus or landing on earth in a 1950s rocket ship.

With its focus on fun and refusal to take itself seriously, Sunset Overdrive looks to deliver a unique and thoroughly entertaining experience unlike anything else on the market. In an industry that’s oversaturated with gritty, gray and brown shooters, Sunset Overdrive could stand out as a refreshing break from the usual.