After a heartbreaking “defeat” at the hands of a troll, the dual-plane “shoot-em-up” from 2Awesome Studio is back on Kickstarter.

Dimension Drive is a brand new dual-plane “Shmup” from Netherlands development team 2Awesome Studio. The frantic shooter puts gamers  on two battlefields, with the ability to swap back and forth to avoid hazards, solve puzzles, discover boss weaknesses, or take a quick breather during an intense rush of bullets. The story and gameplay elements are blurred together seamlessly, with a mix “dynamic motion” comic-inspired scenes, and the equally appealing cel-shaded style and “pop” of each level.

The core gameplay modes are spread across three level styles- “Shooting”, “Puzzle” and “Defense”: Shooting levels are tailored for Shmup veterans, with an onslaught of enemies and a stage-ending boss to conquer; Puzzle stages require players to use both dimensions to navigate through a hazardous, ever-changing environment; Defense levels are a variant of the popular “Horde Mode” in other titles, sending waves of enemies towards the player in 30s intervals.

While the dual-plane mechanic has been previously used in games such as the 3DS’s Fractured Soul, Dimension Drive is one of the first to “actively” use the mechanic, and incorporate it into a vertical-shooter. For every shot fired, players will lose “Dimensional Energy” for whatever side of the screen he/she is on; destroying enemies will grant more Energy for the opposite side, forcing the player to traverse back and forth between “dimensions”.

2Awesome’s upcoming Shmup appeared on Kickstarter last month, and was presumably funded in the closing moments of the campaign. With hours to spare, a backer only known as “Jonathan” pledged €7,000, enough to successfully fund Dimension Drive; Jonathan’s pledge was revoked and labeled “fraudulent” within the final half-hour, leaving 2Awesome Studio with nothing more than a failed Kickstarter campaign.

Not to be defeated by a troll, 2Awesome returned to Kickstarter earlier this week, with a second-attempt at funding Dimension Drive. As of this post, the crowdfunding campaign is over 50% funded, with the initial funding goal set at €30,000/$34,305. Those interested in obtaining a potential copy of Dimension Drive can do so by contributing a minimum of €12/$14. Higher tiers include additional physical and digital rewards, featuring concept art, shirts, Beta access, an extra copy of the game, and a 3D-printed replica of the main ship “Manticore”; an exclusive €7,000/$7,906 tier has not been claimed [as of this post], which will place the backer into the game as an alternate playable character.

If funded, Dimension Drive is projected to release this December, for PC, Mac and Linux. A demo is currently available to download; links can be found via the official Kickstarter page.

Source: Kickstarter
Image courtesy of 2Awesome Studio