Gripper, story-driven cyber-bike action-game, coming to Switch

Heart Core today announced that Gripper, its story-driven cyber-bike action-game, is on the way to Switch. A release window hasn’t been provided, but it should be out “soon.”

Gripper is being made by a development team whose credits include Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Rainbow Six Siege. The game features “furious, dark synth tracks, emotionally charged storytelling, and an explosive cyberpunk setting that is sure to excite and delight.”

Below is a bunch of additional information:

In Gripper, players enter the burnout seat as None, a cyber biker who is stuck inside a collapsing world. Long-separated from his parents, None is jolted back into their lives and forced to save the world from the AI known as Zero. To do so he must race through post-apocalyptic landscapes connected by treacherous tunnels, explore dead lands with the help of his mechanized cat buddy Cat-Kit, and ultimately defeat relentless bosses by gripping and ripping out their hearts.

Gripper’s core gameplay loop consists of three phases: the Main Hub, Tunnels, and Boss Fights. The Main Hub is where players go to upgrade and customize their bikes, install consumables for the upcoming battle, and perhaps most importantly, talk to the adorably intense companion, Cat-Kit. Tunnels feature riding and sliding action set to catchy synthetic beats inspired by the work of Carpenter Brut. Lastly, the Boss Fights feature colossal enemy mechs that symbolize the different stages of grief and each one has a different weak spot that requires a unique approach to survive. By learning the best strategies for each part of the game, players can help set the world right, defeat the great evil of Zero, and even have a chance at saving their parents.

While Gripper is a bombastic bike-based action game, it also features an heartfelt narrative of love, loss, and working through immense grief.

Key Features

– Grip it and Rip It: Tear enemies apart with your bike’s hook and finish them with their own weapons
– Have a Heart: Discover and rip out the hearts of colossal bosses to gain new abilities
– Apocalypse Acclamation: Explore post-apocalyptic cyberpunk biomes which will form a vast world to travel through
– Tunnel Vision: Ride through nightmarish tunnels to the beat of incredible tracks, staying alert for Quick Time Events and flying debris
– Better Yourself: Obtain upgrade points to gain access to improved health, shields and gadgets
– The Heart (Core) of It All: Immerse yourself in the story and metaphor surrounding each boss

Heart Core co-founder Kirill Zolovkin said: “We’re eager to get players into the exciting world of Gripper so that they can experience the engaging emotional core and enthralling action that we’ve been working on for the past few years. To be so close to launch is a joy and we’re looking to challenge players both with the game’s dynamic bosses, and with the overarching story of love, loss and attempting to overcome grief. The idea was born when I lost my mother, and as a game designer, I wanted to express my feelings through gameplay. Such sensitive emotional topics are usually covered in adventure games, but I dreamt of a boss fight game where each boss is a stage of grief. Throughout the game you literally tear enemies apart to reveal their hearts, which sing with voices of those who you lost. Each one gives you an ability. Once you regain them all you are ready to rescue your family. Rather, you rescue yourself. It was never about gripping and ripping, but letting it go.”

Have a look at a trailer for Gripper below.

Source: Heart Core PR