After Rematch, the Sky is the Limit For Sloclap

Many developers usually find themselves a niche and stick with it for as long as possible, especially in the AAA scene. Naughty Dog makes narrative-driven action-adventure games, Rockstar makes sprawling, detail-ridden open-world titles, and BioWare makes big RPGs. But the same isn't quite true for indie studios like Sloclap.

While indie studios still need to earn enough money to survive, they're not beholden to a big publisher and its shareholders, and thus have a bit more freedom to experiment with the ideas they find genuinely interesting. Sloclap is the perfect example of this indie experimentation, with its upcoming release Rematch proving that the sky is the limit for the French studio.

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By Dan Amoroso

The Future Looks Bright for Sloclap

Sloclap Has Already Proven Its Versatility

Founded by former developers of Ubisoft Paris, Sloclap's first game was 2017's Absolver, an action-RPG title that put a heavy emphasis on responsive melee combat. Five years later, Sloclap would release Sifu, another game with a strong focus on crunchy hand-to-hand combat.

When looking back at Sloclap's work, it's clear to see that there was a natural evolution from Absolver to Sifu. Sloclap streamlined Absolver's level design, refined its melee mechanics, and poured even more style into the formula, resulting in Sifu, a game whose reputation has only grown stronger in the years since launch.

Along with excellent combat mechanics, Sifu has a very unique premise, one that sees the player-character aging every time they die. With this premise at its core, Sifu was able to wear its martial arts movie influences on its sleeve while still maintaining a distinct identity of its own, which is not an easy thing to achieve.

Based on Sloclap's previous trajectory, it would make sense for the indie studio to produce another combat-focused action-adventure game next, perhaps even a direct sequel to Sifu. But Sloclap has different plans. Set for release on June 19, Rematch is a complete gameplay and tonal shift for Sloclap, trading Absolver and Sifu's mainly single-player melee action for multiplayer soccer freneticism.

At the time of writing, Rematch's beta is currently in full swing, and while there are some slight technical hiccups, early impressions seem to be very strong. If Rematch can keep that momentum up and land with a bang in June, Sloclap will have proven itself to be an even more versatile studio than some originally thought.

No Ideas Are Seemingly Off The Table for Sloclap

Sifu and Rematch couldn't be more different in terms of gameplay and style, and that diversity seemingly shows that Sloclap isn't worried about sticking to one lane. If Rematch does well, then Sloclap could be given even more confidence that it should follow its passions rather than industry trends. Those passions could lead to some wild places, but given the studio's track-record, fans will be along for the journey regardless. As of now, the future looks very bright for Sloclap, and the sky is truly the limit for the team's next project.

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