Shakedown: Hawaii is a bit of a throwback to the old school Grand Theft Auto games before they went full 3D and got all massive and fancy. A game in which you vie for control of part of Hawaii in various satirical schemes, it’s been met with mostly praise. It’s also opening up to more platforms soon, including some that are…very unexpected.

As announced by developer Vblank Enterainment, the game will be coming to the Wii U and Steam come August. While the former is a tad odd, it was known to be releasing for that system for quite some time, and Shakedown also came out for the 3DS and Vita long after support for those systems dried up.

What is probably the biggest surprise is they also confirmed a version would also be coming to the Wii. Yes, that’s the Wii without the U. There is a catch here, though, as the game will only be available in Europe, since it is apparently impossible to get a certification for a new Wii title in America, and will be limited to only 3,000 physical copies. Since the Wii’s online store has also been taken down, meaning there can be no digital version, this will be the only way to get the game on the Wii. Should make for a decent collector’s item, if nothing else.

Shakedown: Hawaii is available now on PlayStation 4, Switch, Nintendo 3DS, Vita and PC via the Epic Games Store. The Wii version will release in July, with the Wii U and Steam versions set for August. You can read an interview we did with the developer last year through here.

Nintendo are flying high right now with their hybrid Switch console. It’s quite the leap from their last home console, the Wii U. That system will most likely go down in history as the company’s greatest failure, being one-upped by only the Virtual Boy. The company abandoned the platform pretty quickly- but it seems it could get one more notable title in Shakedown: Hawaii.

Shakedown is a game that plays much like the Grant Theft Auto series in its retro days, with a top-dow perspective for a modern open world crime thriller (though the game’s creator says it’s not directly inspired by those titles). A recent ESRB rating seems to point to a potential Wii U release, which is just… something. To be fair, the game also released on the PS Vita and the 3DS well after those systems’ shelf lives were long past their prime, so maybe it’s not that odd, all things considered.

Shakedown: Hawaii is available now on PlayStation 4, Switch, PC, Vita, and 3DS. Nothing officially has been announced about this Wii U version as of yet. But get your ‘what year is this’ gifs ready for when the announcement comes.

Shakedown: Hawaii is quite the trip. The game sits somewhere between the old, with its retro style and top down gameplay, and the new, with its tongue-in-cheek satirizing of current media trends like subscription services and microtransactions. The same can be said of the platforms the game released on as well. It came out on the PS4, Switch, and PC (as an exclusive to the new Epic Games Store, no less), but also the Vita, a handheld that has largely been retired. It looks like it’ll also be coming to another (nearly retired) handheld with an upcoming 3DS version soon.

The game has been said to be coming to the 3DS since its inception, but we haven’t heard a lot about it until now. A tweet from vBlank Entertainment shows the game running on a 3DS, along with the message that they will be submitting it for approval this week. That means the game will probably be coming out there fairly soon. So move over, Persona Q2, it looks like the 3DS will get a much more violent swansong instead.

Shakedown: Hawaii is available now for PlayStation 4, Switch, PC, and Vita. It is scheduled to come out for the 3DS soon. Check out our interview with the creator to get an insight into the game’s creation.

#ShakedownHawaii for Nintendo 3DS will be submitted to Nintendo this week. Just in final testing now… pic.twitter.com/9XB7H02vMP

— Vblank (@RetroCR) June 5, 2019

Shakedown: Hawaii, a top down open world indie title, released earlier in the month. The game features a story somewhat in the vein of the old school Grand Theft Auto titles, where you employ business practices satirizing current trends in the gaming industry like loot boxes and subscription services. It’s also getting its first update on certain platforms for a more accessible experience and some additional content.

The Mogul update will include new content as well as some quality of life features. In a press release, developer VBlank Entertainment said they wanted to make the game a little clearer as it wasn’t conveyed well that main missions were the prime source of income. It will also include more shakedown scenarios, improved police chases, bug fixes, and a host of other things. You can look at the whole list of fixes an changes below, or check it out here.

Shakedown: Hawaii is available now for the PlayStation 4, Switch, PC, and Vita, with a 3DS version planned for a later date. The update is live on PS4 and PC now, with the Switch and Vita getting it soon. If you’re curious about the game, we recently sat down with the game’s creator, and you can read our interview through here.

• More shakedown scenarios
• Car repossession
• Weapon pawning
• Shop icons added to the map
• Expands some building interiors
• Unequippable character upgrades
• Faster property and multipliers purchasing
• Quicker salary increases
• Improved police chases
• Horns/sirens on vehicles
• Miscellaneous bug fixes

NOTE: This interview was conducted before the game’s release.

"As I wrote the story satirizing consumer life, the characters and missions simply evolved from there. As I played in the world, ideas for gameplay grew organically. For example, “Wow, shooting a flamethrower from a go-kart is fun! I should try to build a mission around this!”"

How extensive is the destructibility of environments in Shakedown: Hawaii?

Pretty much everything is destructible. For the most part, the only exceptions are the buildings themselves, and walls around the perimeter of interiors.

Shakwdown: Hawaii’s open world that players can wreak havoc in seems conceptually familiar to GTA titles (especially the old school ones), but it looks like the game is putting its own interesting spin on that concept. Was it part of your vision from the get go to build something along those lines?

GTA3’s impact on the open world genre and video game industry as a whole can’t be understated. It planted the genre firmly into new territory, and I’d say that GTA3 influenced the modern era of gaming as much as Super Mario Bros. influenced the 8 and 16-bit eras. However, at this point, I just see the open world genre as a medium to build a story and game on top of. I approached Shakedown as a blank canvas. As I wrote the story satirizing consumer life, the characters and missions simply evolved from there. As I played in the world, ideas for gameplay grew organically. For example, “Wow, shooting a flamethrower from a go-kart is fun! I should try to build a mission around this!”

How large can players expect the game’s map to be?

I estimate the overworld is about 3X larger than Retro City Rampage’s, 4X if you include interiors and other areas, but even more than that, it’s far more interactive with much more to do, more depth, and hidden areas to explore.

Being an open world game, can we expect Shakedown: Hawaii to have plenty of side activities and missions?

Absolutely. It had the main story mode, as well as over 80 shops to shakedown in any order, sidequests, mini games, customization, secrets, and an entire empire building metagame.

"I have a massive color-coded spreadsheet with columns galore that I used to layout exactly how things would flow and ensure there was steady gameplay variety, and the multiple playable characters and antagonists were threaded throughout."

Can you speak about the nature of these activities and what they will offer in terms of variety?

Yes, ensuring there was a lot of mission variety was important. I have a massive color-coded spreadsheet with columns galore that I used to layout exactly how things would flow and ensure there was steady gameplay variety, and the multiple playable characters and antagonists were threaded throughout.

About how long can we expect the game’s average total runtime to be?

It’s hard to say, as I’m the developer and know the game inside and out. However, it takes me 4X-5X longer to speed run than Retro City Rampage did when testing.

Shakedown: Hawaii’s satirical take on corporations and big business is looking like a very interesting aspect of the experience- is that going to be much of a focus in the game?

Yes, it’s the core of the game’s story, and the situational comedy throughout. It pokes fun at the common frustrations we deal with as consumers, but in a playful, tongue-in-cheek way.

As an indie developer, what is your take on the Nintendo Switch, which seems to have become a haven for ambitious indie titles?

I honestly love all platforms. It’s definitely a great platform to develop for though, and the submission process is relatively smooth.

Do you have any plans to launch on Xbox One?

It’s possible in the future, but I chose to just release it on the platforms that the previous game had already been on, for launch. This allowed me to focus on the game, and less on porting and paperwork, as all the groundwork was already done.

"I look forward to playing with PS5 hardware once I can get my hands on it, but haven’t followed the details too closely yet, as I’ve been too busy wrapping up this launch."

How will the PS4 Pro version turn out in terms of resolution and frame rate?

It runs at 60 fps on all PS4 systems, and scales up the pixels crisply on both.

The PS5 specs were recently revealed in an interview with Wired. What are your thoughts on that?

I look forward to playing with PS5 hardware once I can get my hands on it, but haven’t followed the details too closely yet, as I’ve been too busy wrapping up this launch.

Without a doubt, one of the most influential franchises in gaming history is Grand Theft Auto. Specifically, Grand Theft Auto 3, and its open world sandbox model with bags of side content. While other genres are on the rise, you can still see seeds of GTA in most major AAA releases even to this day. There’s less talk about the titles before the third one, which were also open world, but in a top down style and less over-the-top. There’s been a resurgence of sorts in that style, however, with games like Retro City Rampage, the upcoming American Fugitive, and the recently released Shakedown: Hawaii. But with the latter, creator Brian Provinciano actually thinks that idea of inspiration is somewhat limiting.

Sitting down in an interview with OnlySP, Provinciano talked about various aspects of Shakedown: Hawaii– largely its pointed satire at current gaming trends mixed with a retro style. But when it came to speaking about about the influence of GTA, he said the game wasn’t really inspired by it that much, and that he sees the open-world genre as more of a medium in and of itself to build games and stories.

“Years of playing and enjoying open-world games are in my DNA, but I didn’t reference and wasn’t inspired by any in its creation,” he said. “I approached Shakedown as a blank canvas. As I wrote the story satirizing consumer life, the characters and missions simply evolved from there. As I played in the world, ideas for gameplay grew organically. For example, ‘Wow, shooting a flamethrower from a go-kart is fun! I should try to build a mission around this!’

“Grand Theft Auto III‘s impact on the open-world genre and video game industry as a whole can’t be understated. It planted the genre firmly into new territory, and I’d say that GTA III influenced the modern era of gaming as much as Super Mario Bros. influenced the 8- and 16-bit eras. However, at this point, I just see the open-world genre as a medium to build a story and game on top of.”

Shakedown: Hawaii is available now for PlayStation 4, Switch, PC, and the PlayStation Vita. A 3DS version of the game is slated to come at a later date.

Ever wanted to build an empire through gratuitous, retro-flavoured violence? Vblank Entertainment’s Shakedown: Hawaii is the ticket for that ride. The long-awaited sequel to Retro City Rampage finally has a release date. It’s out on May 7th for PS4, PC, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo 3DS users can expect it to arrive later, but Shakedown: Hawaii looks like it will be worth the wait. As a parody of big businesses, Shakedown: Hawaii is about marketing spin, false advertising, and being a “legitimate” businessman. While this involves buying property, it also means wrecking shops for protection money, destroying existing properties in the name of rezoning, and much more.

Traverse the city with its parks and suburbs or head into the jungle to carry out your mission. Check out the gameplay overview trailer below. Alternatively, you can check out a trailer for “The Consultant” for a peek at some of the tasks you’ll be asked to complete.

However, Vblank Entertainment boss and confirmed PS4 dev Brian Provinciano took to Twitter to state that the rumours were false and ridiculous.

@mrnray It's absolutely false. Absolutely ridiculous.

— Brian Provinciano (@BriProv) July 27, 2013

Provinciano did not confirm how much RAM was in the system. Considering how Microsoft was skewered for stating the Xbox One would allocate 3 GB to its OS, we can see how this would affect Sony’s projections of being more powerful (though make no mistake – 4.5 GB DDR5 RAM is far superior to 5 GB DDR3 RAM).

On NeoGAF, industry insider Thuway provided his own numbers, stating that the PS4 actualyl reserves up to 6 GB of RAM for games and 2 GB for the OS. “There are games in development that are using 6 GB of RAM,” he stated in an update. Other insiders such as BruceLeeRoy and forum admin Kagari corroborated this report. What is the truth? Stay tuned as the story develops.

Retro City Rampage doesn’t take itself seriously, because the whole thing is a joke. And that’s the point. Your protagonist, simply called the “Player” who lives in the cutely-pixelated locality of Theftropolis City (Ho ho!), finds himself botching a bank heist right out of a certain super hero film starring William Fichtner for approximately a whole of five minutes.

The Player ends up running into Doc Choc and his time machining car, which is now broken because… well, because you broke it. So its upto the player, to take the role of the Player, and help the Doc get the parts he needs to fix up the time-travelling vehicle to… well, I guess to go back in time and stuff. Back to the Future, something something. Oh, and one of the villains looks like Dr. Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog.

If only the game supported a way for the player to interact and point out every reference it ever uses from a TV show, cartoon series, movie, and video game that ever came out of the 80s. Because every time I saw a reference that I’m able to recognize, I tried to make a mental note on the total count. Then I end up losing count.

As far as the references and cameos themselves go, sometimes its done in a charming way, sometimes a bit too obvious. Whether or not this is the kind of the thing that amuses you to great degrees is entirely subjective, but its rather immediate that not everyone will appreciate the kind of attention that goes into get these cheesy one-liners or nostalgia trips. But for a game that’s solely built exactly on that, Retro City Rampage is definitely one of a kind.

Its the look and feel of the game that makes it stand out, obviously channelling the spirits of the NES and Genesis generation of console gaming. Theftropolis City is a fun place to drive around in, when you’re not spending too much time mow-downing the colorful looking denizens. This is especially notable when you’ve been assigned missions to specific areas that you may have not visited before. As more missions are completed, new arcade-style challenges unlock, where you’ll be given a pre-determined weapon, and asked to rack up the kill count before time runs out. Missions tied to the story will help you progress further to unlock more missions and side-activities. But more on that later!

For the most part, Retro City Rampage is played from a top-down perspective view. Shooting in the game has a familiar feel, mimicking something you’d see in a twin-stick shooter. You can either use the right thumbstick on the control pad to shoot in all directions, or hold down on the X button to lock on a specific target. Projectile-based weapons provide good thrills, but you won’t find anything truly outrageous to complement the overall crazy tone. Melee-weapons, though, say otherwise, at least on the surface. But punching and swinging with them doesn’t share the kind of gleefulness that you get from a peashooter. Great variety of drivable vehicles though, especially if you like piloting a giant ape. Just don’t expect any aircrafts.

And speaking of relying on close-combat, I wasn’t really a fan of the jump-stomp. This was particularly annoying towards the end game, fighting wave after wave of enemies with your bare fists, then having to use a baseball. Sorry, but once you’ve given me a proton pack with a room filled with demonic gogo dancers, I’m already spoiled. Much of this can be said about the missions. Some of them have quirky set pieces and ideas, others feel repetitive. There’s only so many “Go to this location, deck this guy, here’s some witty banter, now go here” I can really put up with. Thought I do greatly enjoy one particular homage to a certain platformer from Twisted Pixel Games.

Art wise, it’s still impressive to see how a lot of the older 8-bit/16-bit titles are translated, yet seemingly tied together. While a lot of the game still takes place in Theftropolis City, more exotic locations can either be found on the outskirts, or through specific missions. The scenery is littered with detailed sprites, complemented by snarky signboards and hey, there’s even a subway system! If you’re a fan of chiptunes, Retro City Rampage provides a good assortment of beats. You can even download a free “Demo Mixtape” at their website.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

The game will be released on myriad gaming platforms: it’s currently available on Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS Vita and PC.

It was already released on platforms like PS3, PS Vita and PC last year on October 9, 2012, and the Xbox Live version was released on January 2, 2013. The game was developed by Vblank Entertainment.

Through its world, characters and missions, Retro City Rampage lampoons the entire 8-bit era –from its games to the TV, movies and pop culture. [reference]

The game is completely DRM free on PC and is available on Steam and GOG.

• 1. Development
• 2. Plot
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Soundtrack

Development

The game supports 3D and based on the type of game it is, the 3D functionality works really well. Not all missions are playable though and it’s not clear whether they have increased the amount of levels that can be played with 3D or not.

As an homage to numerous 8-bit videogames, Retro City Rampage incorporates design elements from a lot of different genres. Although it is primarily played from a top-down bird’s-eye viewpoint, in specific sections, it may switch to a strictly two-dimensional perspective in the style of a 2D platformer.

The game also features 16 graphical filters that simulate various retro computers and game consoles.

The concept for Retro City Rampage originally came from a homebrew project that began in 2002. In his spare time, game programmer Brian Provinciano constructed his own Nintendo Entertainment System development kit and set about remaking one of his favourite titles, Grand Theft Auto III, with 8-bit sprite graphics, under the codename of Grand Theftendo.

At the 2011 Game Developers Conference, he revealed his methods, showing how, over several years, he built advanced software tools to help him overcome the limitations of Nintendo Entertainment System hardware, before eventually shifting development to the PC. [reference]

The game pays tribute to many titles through its storytelling, levels and character abilities, such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Contra and Bionic Commando, among others. The game also pays tribute to “cheesy” one-liners, television shows and pop culture, as well as cameos including Phil Fish (creator of Fez), Billy Campbell, and Phil Guerrero (of YTV fame).

The game is playable in 5 Languages: English, Français, Italiano, Deutsch, Español. It features Steam Leaderboards and achivements. It also supports Keyboards, Joysticks, Gamepads and other Game Controllers.

Plot

In Retro City Rampage, players take control of a henchman of a major crime syndicate known as the Jester. The game is inspired by Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto games, in that the player can complete a variety of missions within an enormous city that is open to explore.

Here’s the official description given by V Blank Games.

“The entire open-world is in danger.

The player is out for a friendly frolic of crime capers when suddenly ambushed by evil good guys. They will stop at nothing to end his rampage of doom threatening the citizens of Theftropolis City. Are you bad enough to defeat the evil good guys?

Retro City Rampage lets you play as the player. Take the wheel with five-finger discounts on over 30 vehicles and wield over 20 weapons that will make you say “whoa”! Run down innocent pedestrians to hear the magnificent monophonic modulated sounds.

Order a pint of sour milk” from the barkeep to make yourself sick and avoid taking responsibility for your actions. At some point, defeat the evil good guys then relax and go do it, when you want an iced tea.”

Gameplay

Retro City Rampage is a parody of the open-world action genre, it takes modern game mechanics and mashes them into an authentic 8-bit experience.

Equal parts fast paced arcade action and an epic mission based story mode, it’s all the driving and shooting you’d expect and a whole lot more! With missions that twist pages straight from classic game experiences, you get to re-live and rewrite history in a way only a modern anti-hero could.

It contains over 60 story missions. Gameplay mechanics like Driving, Shooting, Stealth, Platforming, Swimming, Rhythm, and much more.Over 40 Arcade Challenges. It allows gamers to record and share replays.

The game contains over 25 Weapons & Power-Ups: From Lightguns to Bionic Arms, Rockets, Guitars and “Grogotovs”. It also also allows you over 50 vehicles to steal including cars, Trucks, Bikes, Vans, Skateboards and Tanks
Equip Guns, Rockets, Flames & Nitro!

There are over 200 character customizations which allows you to change the hair styles, Tattoos, Glasses, Even Plastic Surgery. It also features a huge open world to explore including buildings, shops, and activities. [reference]

Soundtrack

1. Retro City Rampage Title Song (virt) (free) 02:07

2. Will to Survive (Norrin Radd) 01:42

3. Cleaning up the Streets (Norrin Radd) 01:20

4. Joy Ride (Norrin Radd) 01:53

5. Proton Decay (Norrin Radd) 00:57

6. Not Mega… (virt) 01:55

7. Renegade (Norrin Radd) 02:22

8. Dance Off (Norrin Radd) 00:36

9. Sidegirl Revenge (Freaky DNA) 02:39

10. Do or Die (Norrin Radd) 00:47

11. Dr. Von Buttnick (Norrin Radd) 00:49

12. Action / Chase (virt) 01:30

13. Side Complete (virt) 00:05

14. Half Steppin’ (Freaky DNA) 03:07

15. Karaage (Freaky DNA) 01:15

16. Camel Toed Lady (Freaky DNA) 01:51

17. Toadstool Om Nom (Freaky DNA) 01:37

18. Mission Briefing / Danger (virt) 01:44

19. Riff Down (Freaky DNA) 01:30

20. Bit Happy (Freaky DNA) 03:48

21. Tune 6 (Norrin Radd) 01:15

22. Smut Peddler (Norrin Radd) 01:13

23. Not Nate… (virt) 02:05

24. Side Complete (virt) 00:05

25. Beach Ninjas (Norrin Radd) 01:00

26. Bit Bop (Freaky DNA) 02:34

27. Betting Zoo (Norrin Radd) 00:38

28. Monsieur Piedlourde (Freaky DNA) 01:17

29. Nordic Night (Norrin Radd) 00:44

30. Wobbly Thrown (Freaky DNA) 01:15

31. One Last Quest (Norrin Radd) 02:22

32. Smash Me (Freaky DNA) 03:34

33. Politeness and Friendship (Norrin Radd) 00:53

34. Salsa Faceoff (Freaky DNA) 01:11

35. Side Complete (virt) 00:05