Counterpick Labs is a cute, free-to-play platform fighter (Smash Bros-like) where players build their character by mixing and matching quirky weapons and gadgets.
The game takes place at Counterpick Labs, a weapons manufacturing company. As Associate Weapons Testers, players will help assess experimental weaponry by sparring against other players and bots in the battle simulation lab.
Release Date: July 12th, 2024 (Steam Early Access)
Price: Free-to-play
Features
Modular character customization - build your character's loadout by selecting a primary weapon (normal attacks), secondary weapon (anti-shield), gadget (special abilities), and battle suit (base stats and passive abilities).
For a tanky, ranged build, pair Oleg's might with the Warp Mine's teleport, and hurl Chakrams to deal damage from afar. Or dominate the skies by combining Space Suit's triple jump with Jet Boots' maneuverability and the momentum-altering recoil of the Flame Cannon.
Classic & roguelike combat - enjoy intense, skill-based combat in Classic mode. Or try your luck in the roguelike Arena mode, where you'll earn powerful upgrades as you fight, from elemental weapon auras to ricocheting projectiles to dramatic stat boosts.
A story mode, released incrementally in bite-sized story missions. The first season of story missions has players navigating office drama alongside their newly-assigned Weapons Testing Intern, Jim. Story missions are built to by replayable and speed-runnable.
Smooth platform fighter action, inspired by Smash Bros. Modernized for accessibility while retaining all the competitive depth expected from platform fighter veterans.
State-of-the-art rollback netcode allows for smooth connections across continents.
Free to play with no way to buy power.
Cross progression, cross play, and account linking between the web and Steam versions.
Hi! I (@UrbanMotmot) am a US-based solo developer passionate about platform fighters. I've been working on Counterpick Labs, my first commercial game, for the past few years. My current goals are as follows:
Grow the platform fighter genre by creating the most accessible platform fighter on the market, from a combined gameplay, cost, and getting-started perspective (e.g. with the web version you'll be in-game within seconds).
Expand on the core of platform fighters - freeform movement and combos - with modular kit customization that keeps every match exciting.
With the >200 (and growing) loadout combinations possible from a relatively small number of modular gear pieces, combo trees and neutral interactions stay familiar yet fresh. I like to think of Counterpick Labs as the Chess960 of platform fighters.
Evolve the genre by blending in elements of other genres, such as the roguelite upgrades available in Arena mode and other TBA modes/features.
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or comments.
