Turbo Kid News

Ready for another dev update? This one features what we’ve been up to since February, so it’ll be a bit less massive than the last one, but still lots of stuff to cover. Here we go, round 2!

[h2]Cartridges[/h2]
Remember these collectibles from the demo?


Shiny AND useful

They’re called “Cartridges” and are much more than some simple shiny trinkets to add to your collection. You will be able to equip cartridges to gain passive boosts like bonus damage or resistance, attracting loot around you and even modifying existing traversal skills. You’ll have a limited number of slots to equip cartridges, though, so choose wisely. Here’s a preview of the upcoming cartridges screen, with absolutely no hints to other sub-screens included. Also note that cartridge icons are not representative of final art just yet.


Nothing else to see on this screen, just cartridges, only cartridges.

Weapons & Energy
Turbo Kid is a Metroidvania, as such, one might expect it will feature quite a few upgrades & powers to unlock. One might be right. These will include weapons, all kinds of weapons. The most observant among you may have noticed the mysterious blue bar under your health bar which expands when you collect a certain item that looks like this:


May or may not contain Mutagen


So mysterious. Oh, the many secrets it holds.

That bar represents the energy you can use when firing special weapons. We have put a lot of work into making energy collection and use fun, and encouraging using different types of weapons. “Enough talk, when do we get to see the weapons?!” you might say. Unfortunately, I’m not here to spoil the fun of discovering these new weapons, but I can show you what happens when you collect one. Take a look at this beauty:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
By the power of the Wasteland, I HAVE THE POWER!

[h2]Other progress[/h2]
Many other big features are in the works but they aren’t quite ready to showcase yet. Nevertheless, here’s a small sample of other things currently in development.

[h3]Junkyard & Sewer Boss Fights[/h3]
We’ve made a lot of progress on these two boss fights and our QA and designers (and many other curious members of the team) are thoroughly testing them.

[h3]Gameplay & Accessibility Settings[/h3]
We’ve added more settings, including new gameplay (bike options) and control settings (hold vs. toggle), and a set of options for “assist mode”. Assist mode settings are simple adjustments to modify the experience and better suit your needs or preferences. Examples include modifying health or loot drop odds and modifying defense or damage.

[h3]Notebook[/h3]
Another big feature currently in progress: the Notebook. This is where you’ll keep track of your adventures throughout the game. It will contain details on locations you visited, characters you’ve encountered, your current objectives, and all of your collectibles. It’s a pretty big feature and work will be ongoing for some time so expect more info on this in upcoming updates.

[h3]Visual Effects[/h3]
We’ve been putting a lot of work into visual effects, both for in-game and for UI (menus) to capture that signature retro look and feel. Final touches are being added to all manner of feedback in-game, including weapons, collectibles, damage, etc. We’ll dive into this in the next update, lots of eye-candy upcoming.

[h2]What Next?[/h2]
That is it for this edition: progress on multiple fronts, and lots of big features currently in the works. I hope you all enjoyed the update, and I’m already hyped for the next one. As always, you can stay up to date on all developments regarding Turbo Kid by joining our community:

Outerminds | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitch | Linktree

Cheers!

Ray—Lead Programmer for Turbo Kid

Hey there Turbo Kids,

We've been pretty busy here at Outerminds, working hard on Turbo Kid. We thought it would be fun to update you all on what we have been up to since the release of the Steam Demo. Not only that, but these updates will become a monthly occurrence from now on. Let’s dive in, shall we?



[h2]Sewers[/h2]
If you caught some of our streams, you may have seen a little preview of this new zone. The Sewers have their own unique atmosphere, lots of cool lore and colorful characters to interact with, some new enemies and challenges to tackle and, of course, a new Boss Fight: Oozinator. ***May or may not include super-powered turtles with headbands.***
Here’s a quick look at some of this new content:


The lovely, inviting and not at all deadly, Sewers


Possibly worse than hospital Jell-O


Just your regular human doing regular human things


Even more annoying than real flies!


…probably something they ate.


Piñatas, but the deadly kind


Boss: Oozinator, maybe they just want a hug

[h2]Junkyard[/h2]
Work has also begun on other zones within the game. One of these is the Junkyard, a really desolate populated mostly by robots and drones. Be ready for a wide variety of challenging enemies, and an even more challenging Boss Fight. Keep an eye out, someone’s junk can often be someone else’s treasure (or killer robot).


Flying drones: Ouch


Turrets: Also ouch


Driller Drones: Surprise ouch


Boss: Silver Ghost, she’s quite the scrapper

[h2]Wasteland[/h2]
This area connects everything together, it's also where your journey will begin. It features picturesque landscapes, lots of mysteries and lore to discover and some rather unique enemies. The perfect place to listen to some kickass music from Le Matos while riding around on your bike.









We’ve also been working on lots of cool new stuff to make your experience as memorable and enjoyable as possible. From quality of life improvements to brand new features, here’s a quick breakdown of all the shiny new things.

[h2]Skippable Dialogues, Cutscenes & NPC Improvements[/h2]

One of the most requested features from the Steam Demo was the ability to skip dialogues. This is a crucial feature for speedrunners and less narratively inclined players. Practice your speed-reading techniques or blaze through previously explored areas without wasting those valuable seconds.


Skippable dialogues: For players on the go

We followed this improvement up with a rework of existing cutscenes and NPC interactions. This includes text streamlining, timing adjustments, clearer dialogues and a few more background characters chiming in.


That’s some good life advice right there, free of charge

[h2]Fast-Travel System[/h2]
You may have noticed the world we have built for you to explore is quite expansive. While you do have your trusty bike to zip around on, sometimes you need something faster to travel vast distances, some sort of “system” that would allow you to “travel” “fast”...
Introducing the Fast-Travel System! You will find many of these fast-travel pods scattered across the world to allow you to quickly get from Point A to Point B, C, D… and so on.


Fast-Travel Pods: Also for players on the go, but much faster

[h2]File Selection[/h2]
Players will now have 3 save slots to choose from when starting a game. Pretty useful if you want a different save game for your speedrunning practice or your Apple playthrough. Save files will display a bunch of important info, like playtime, progression % and unlocked weapons to help you keep track of everything. It also comes with the always handy “copy” and “delete” functionalities.


File selection screen: Organizational skills not included

[h2]Gameplay Settings & Controls Remapping[/h2]
We added a bunch of new gameplay settings to help you customize your Turbo Kid experience to your liking. This includes a planned feature that we sadly didn’t have time to put into the demo, but is now finally here: Controls Remapping. So if you desperately want to map “Jump” to the “Scroll Lock” key on your keyboard, or the “Left Trigger” on your controller, who are we to stop you?


Controller Mapping: you tell that controller who’s boss


Keyboard Mapping: That “M” key was clearly under utilized

[h2]Merchant Shops[/h2]
If you played the Demo you may be wondering what all those scraps you collect are for. Merchant Shops! You can now exchange your “scraps” for some nice rewards like health or energy upgrades and maybe even some cartridges (more on those in next month’s update).


Can’t you just imagine all the nice things this person will have for sale?


Last but not least, Kickstarter stretch goal content is constantly being added.

[h2]Hall of Corpses[/h2]
The “Hall of Corpses” is ready to welcome you with its impressive display of varied corpses, as described very “creatively” by our imaginative backers.


Uncensored content in all its gory pixelated detail available in-game only

[h2]Apple[/h2]
Apple has also made her appearance in the game. With over 425 unique animations for our protagonist characters, our artists are always hard at work making sure Apple looks her very best. We even have dynamic hair physics when she is riding her bike.


Apple: BMX Pro



That’s it for this month! We hope you enjoyed this sneak peek. There’s so much more to discover in-game, including many Easter eggs and other secrets we can’t reveal quite yet. Our next update will be coming soon, make sure you don’t miss it by joining our community:
https://linktr.ee/outerminds

See you in the Wasteland!

Ray - Lead Programmer on Turbo Kid

Happy New Year everyone!

The team here at Outerminds is back in full force after a fun holiday and we’re ready to give you a little idea of what 2023 has in store for us as well as a much-needed update to confirm we’re still breathing. ;)
To start, we’d like to address some of the more frequently asked questions we’ve seen in comments and on social media:


Q. We know the game will be released for Switch and Steam, but will it be available on other platforms?
A. The only two platforms are still Switch and Steam. Plans to launch on other platforms remain unchanged as of now. We will be sure to update you if these plans change.

Q. When can we expect the physical version and physical bonuses?
A. Physical editions of Turbo Kid as well as Kickstarter backer bonus items will be delivered on or after our release date, this will all depend on shipping providers. We’ll have more info to share as we near launch.
If you haven’t already, please take a look at the Kickstarter FAQ tab as these questions have been addressed when we first set up the page. If amendments are ever required, you will be the first to know.


Regarding development

2023 is our year and we’re confident that we’ll deliver a totally rad, totally chrome, version of the game.
Content is well on its way to being created and you can learn all about our smaller achievements and progress updates via our Turbo Kid YouTube streams. If you’ve got questions, that’s the best time to ask live! We’ll also make sure to keep you updated as much as we can on Discord.


Q. The arrow keys aren’t the best for controlling the bike. Can you please add a key-mapping option?
A. Absolutely! The full release of the game will include the ability to map your keys wherever you want them to be.


Regarding the Steam Demo

If you haven’t noticed, we put up a Steam Demo of a tiny gameplay portion for Turbo Kid back in later September/Early October. This is the best way to get a feel for the eventual release, bop to some Le Matos tracks and commit gory destruction.


Q. Will the demo stay forever?
A. Yes!
Or at least, until the apocalypse.

Q. Will you update the demo?
A. No! We’re concentrating all our manpower on the full release of the game, but don’t hesitate to leave feedback on the demo page, we’re happy to have a conversation on game design or whatever you fancy.


Looking over the wasteland’s horizon

With that, thank you again for your continued support and we can’t wait to keep the conversation going.
In the meantime, here’s what you’re actually here for, early looks at playable Apple in Turbo Kid.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The next Turbo Kid Live streams are coming for the October 2022 Next Fest


Streams will take place at 4pm EDT (8pm UTC)
Wednesday October 5th
Friday October 7th


Download the demo now, see how you fare against the people who made the game. Come join the conversation and don’t forget to wishlist the game if you enjoyed the demo!

Turbo Kid Live stream is coming for the October 2022 Next Fest

Here it is, the first official Turbo Kid live stream will happen during this coming Steam Next Fest.


Streams will take place at 4pm EDT (8pm UTC)
Monday October 3rd
Wednesday October 5th
Friday October 7th


Download the demo now, see how you fare against the people who made the game. Come join the conversation and don’t forget to wishlist the game if you enjoyed the demo!


Quick recap for those who have no idea what Turbo Kid is:

In Turbo Kid, you play as The Kid, a lone warrior on a journey to cross the Wasteland in a retro-like exploration adventure featuring the over-the-top hysterical gore that made the movie it’s based on so much fun.
Inspired by legendary run-and-gun platformers like Mega Man X, Super Metroid, and Out of this World, Turbo Kid allows you to explore the different zones and defeat bosses in the order you see fit as you make choices that will affect the process of the game.

Features

BRAND NEW STORY set between the end of Turbo Kid and the upcoming Turbo Kid sequel.

OVER THE TOP GORE, rendered in glorious pixel-art and painstakingly precise ragdoll physics.

BIKE THROUGH LEVELS in the first metroidvania to include access to the height of human-powered transport technology: the All-Terrain Bike!

COLLECT TURBO SKILLS! In the style of classic metroidvanias, discover new power-ups and weapons to make your journey smoother.

SPEED-RUNNABLE DESIGN for hardcore gamers, made possible by a fluid and non-invasive narrative design.

KICKASS NEW SOUNDTRACK BY LE MATOS, electronic band extraordinaire and creators of the film’s soundtrack.

Don’t miss it, it’ll be a blast!