Happion Laboratories’ Jamie Fristrom has announced on the PlayStation Blog that Energy Hook, a game based around a swinging mechanic similar to the one used in 2004’s Spider-Man 2, will be releasing on PlayStation 4 and PS Vita in 2014.
The game is set in the future, where kids apparently are so obsessed with obtaining an adrenaline high they’ll snatch and repurpose construction equipment for their own made up extreme sports.
Fristrom worked on Spider-Man 2 as technical director and designer. He played a key role in the project’s development. One producer called him "the rock on which the Spider-Man 2 team was built." In 2004, Spider-Man 2 received a mostly positive reception from critics, and much credit is due to Fristrom, who created the game’s most redeeming quality, the web-swinging mechanic. It allowed players, controlling Spidey, to freely swing from building to building, exploring a large, well-rendered Manhattan.
With Energy Hook, Fristrom takes that same mechanic and combines it with the "points for style" gameplay of games like SSX and Tony Hawk Pro Skater. While much of game consists of swinging from buildings, players can earn extra points and energy for running on walls and performing mid-air tricks. Gravity beams, gravity boots and jetpacks are the tools that make such feats possible.
Fristrom says the two analog-sticks played heavy in the decision to bring Energy Hook to Sony’s handheld, as they offer precision that touch controls do not. Fristrom finishes by predicting, "I daresay it’s going to be the first, decent, 3D swinging game to hit a handheld."
Energy Hook will release on PS4 and PS Vita as a timed-exclusive before becoming available later on other devices.