Walking through PAX and discovering games for the first time is always one of my favorite parts of the show. This is how I discovered This War of Mine, Move or Die, Super Monday Night Combat, Robot Roller Derby Disco Dodgeball and many others. This year, Streamline gets added to that list as this is one of the most fun and most unique concepts for a game I have seen in a while.
The premise of Streamline seems simple enough at first. It's a third person arena based combat game where you and the other players in the game are called "Runners". When the game starts, it's a mad dash to run all over the map and collect colored pellets for points, kind of like Pacman. You can also stun other players with your melee attack to try and steal their points. Now of course this is much easier said than done. The person who is broadcasting the stream is the only person in the game with a weapon and the ability to eliminate the other players.
Audience participation is key to this game as those who are watching in the Twitch stream can summon hazards to the arena by voting in the chat. Yup, instead of just sitting there watching the game and chatting, you get to be part of the action as well. Some of the hazards I saw while playing included turning the floor into lava, slowing down all the characters, and shifting the gravity of the game via the "moon boots" option.
This game was designed for people who stream their games via Twitch and to be able to play together as a community. I had a ton of fun with this game and went back to the booth multiple times. The best way I could describe the game is a intense game of tag. You have to be on the lookout for other players, the hunter and you also have to worry about your score as you collect pellets and then watch out for whatever hazard the community has lined up for you next. I thought the idea for this game was brilliant and I am so excited to see how the game evolves as it nears it's final release.
Streamline is currently scheduled for a late 2016 release. For more information about Streamline, check out their official website.
