Floor Kids (breakdance game) announced for the Nintendo Switch

During today’s Nindies Summer Showcase, some really unique games were announced for Nintendo platforms (mostly the Nintendo Switch), and Floor Kids is definitely one of the most memorable.

Floor Kids is a breakdance game featuring dance battles, freestyle gameplay, but more importantly… funky beats! The game features unique hand-drawn animation, along with a “fresh” soundtrack by the Squid Sisters Kid Koala. The developers also mention “innovative controls”, that supposedly offer you the freedom to play the way you like.

Throughout the game, you get to lead your very own crew of bboys and bgirls through the city, with new characters and locations to unlock, new combos to disover, and more. Floor Kids can be played in Single Player (all three modes), or with a friend (only on TV and Tabletop Mode).

Here’s the key features of the game:

• Choose from 8 diverse characters, each with their own set of authentic and original moves.
• Find your style with an innovative control system that responds to different rhythms, holds, and freezes.
• Win over the crowds with a scoring system that rewards musicality, originality and style.
• Dance at many different locations, either in solo freestyle mode or in multiplayer battles.
• Discover over two dozen original music tracks by DJ Kid Koala, each with corresponding rhythm challenges.

And here’s a trailer and some pictures:

If you’re wondering how this game actually came to be, read the following:

Floor Kids is an original idea by Montreal-based animator and former bboy JonJon. The Floor Kids first appeared in a series of short animated films produced in 2007-2008, featuring original music by Kid Koala, which were shown online and were incorporated in a number of Kid Koala’s live concerts. In 2014, JonJon and Kid Koala joined together with Hololabs and other game developers from Montreal to create a video game based on the Floor Kids characters and universe. The team set out to develop a unique break dance video game featuring 2D hand-drawn characters and innovative controls that make you feel like you’re dancing along with the character, all to the sounds of Kid Koala’s awesome beats.
Awards & Recognition

Here’s some additional details:

This stylish rhythm battle game is inspired by the love of the culture of break and hip hop. Key design choices, such as the animation, pay respect to the physics of real moves. This also comes through in the unique way players control their characters in the game and allows them to find their own style of play – either using touch-screen or button control schemes. Scoring is inspired by real-life international judging standards of breaking, but with a twist on categories like Funk, Flow, Flavor, Fire and Flyness.

Floor Kids (Switch – eShop) will be released before this Fall in Europe and North America. The Upcoming Games page has been updated!

Source: Nintendo Fact Sheet