While at Salt Lake Gaming Con a couple weeks ago, I learned that a lot of amazing up-and-coming indie game developers are coming out of Utah's booming software growth. In my opinion the one leading the forefront is none other than Crashnauts from Fueled by Rockets. It is a fast-paced multiplayer death battle that brings back the joys of old-school "couch competition." I sat down to play it while at the convention and was having a hard time putting the controller down.

The play-style of the game is somewhat similar to Towerfall, but with a great deal more kinetic energy, mixing somewhere between Super Smash Bros. and Unreal Tournament or Quake 3 Arena. You take control of one of a handful of creative races of intergalactic soldiers, ranging from typical Space Marines to the formidable Space Bears! The characters also feature a unique level of customization that you can swap out each match. You're then dropped into one of the very well-designed arenas and set about murdering the crap out of your friends. This game was made to sling trash talk! It's easy to pick up, but takes a few tricks to master the incredibly fast-paced and somewhat chaotic style of gameplay. There are currently classic game modes such as Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag, but as the game is still in Beta, that is subject to change!

We grew up as brothers and played a lot of these types of games [local multiplayer] like Smash Brothers and Goldeneye. Smash Brothers with guns is what a lot of people say after they play it.
It's just a lot of fun to sit down on a couch with four people and blow each other up. — Marc Call from Fueled by Rockets

I've played a lot of indie titles this summer, from E3 and everything in between, and this is the one I'm most excited to get into our office to settle creative disputes with the rest of my team! They have a Steam Greenlight and Kickstarter campaign launching September 8th, and we'll be back to make sure you remember that date. In the meantime, check out our interview with the creators, brothers Mike and Marc Call along with a bit of the awesome gameplay!