You may remember that in January of 2022, A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-pooh stories entered the public domain, inspiring deeply crap ideas like “what if children’s character but knives?” in the case of Blood And Honey , and “what if children’s character but mildly naughty word?“, in the case of smirking billboardian human doppelganger Ryan Reynolds. Videogames were not immune. “What if children’s character but Cronenbergian body horror?” asked the developers of Winnie’s Hole when they announced a roguelike dungeon crawler based on the bear in 2023, and there’s now a Steam demo available, should you wish to scoop up honey with arms-where-no-arms-should-rightly-be.
Unlike Ryan Reynolds, developer Twice Different have at least made things worth the Mint Mobile receipts they’re printed on before, reckons Nate (RPS in peace), who enjoyed despicable owl-em-up Ring Of Pain. That was also a card-shuffling dungeon crawler. This time around you’ll be playing as a Winnie-borne virus, mutating through the bear’s yellow innards to “refine his primitive form” in puzzle sections, then commandeering your freakish host in roguelike battles. After a trailer? Eeyore then…
The sweet features, they sing to me:
- Evolve with each run – Unlock new Perks, Mutations and Virus Strains.
- Mutate your host as a symbiotic virus.
- Bodybuilding in the worst way.
- A storybook narrative which reimagines Winnie in a world of dark science.
- A fresh take on exploration, replacing the typical roguelite node map with strategic, turn-based building using a set of tetromino-like virus blocks which you can evolve and reshape.
- Dynamic battle system where each turn is an action combo for fast-paced gameplay.
- Holesome horror comedy with gritty art inspired by old school Nickelodeon and Brothers’ Grimm fairytales.
Winnie’s Hole is out later this year. If you’re a developer that fancies parodying Mickey Mouse for whatever commercial use you’d like please reach out to me, Nic Reuben, the sole rights holder. Mario too. Maybe you could…make them kiss? It’s up to you!