TheRocky Horror Showis a 1970s comedy horror musical by Richard O’Brien that was adapted into a movie titledThe Rocky Horror Picture Showin 1975. Over the years, this film gained a huge following and became a cult classic, mostly thanks to Tim Curry’s breakout performance.
Because of its theme and genre, this is not the type of project that we would expect to see adapted into a video game in 2024, let alone into a retro-style action platformer. But this is precisely whatUK-based studio FreakZone Gamesjust announced, and it looks surprisingly good.
Simply titledThe Rocky Horror Video Game, this a 2D side-scroller in which players will control protagonists Janet and Brad in an exciting adventure that will feature catchy 8-bit renditions of classic songs from the original musical. It seems other characters, like Dr. Everett V. Scott in his wheelchair, will also be playable. It’s evident that the developers made this game as an homage to classic NES side scrollers, likeCastlevaniaorMega Man.
According to the trailer, this eccentric project was possible thanks to Bit Bot Media and Metal X Entertainment Production, and it will be launching very soon, on October 2024. The studio hasn’t revealed a specific release date yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s out before Halloween.
The Rocky Horror Video Game is not FreakZone Games’ first foray into an obscure IP
In a statement to The Wrap, the game’s producer, Joshua Viola, said, “For those familiar with Rocky Horror, they’ll get to relive it in a fresh, exciting way. For newcomers, it’s an unforgettable introduction to a cult classic, delivered with a twist only a video game can provide”. This reassures us that the studio developed this project from a place of love for the original musical and that both established fans and people who have never watched the movie are certainly going to enjoy it.
It should be of no surprise that FreakZone Games decided to tackle such a niche and specific project, especially when taking a look at some of its previous titles. The studio rose to fame in 2012 when it releasedManos: The Hands of Fate,a 2D platformer based on the infamous cult filmof the same name. FreakZone Games also developedAngry Video Game Adventuresand its sequel, another 2D side scroller, only that this one is partially based on theiconic gaming YouTuber James Rolfe, better known as theAngry Video Game Nerd. So these types of weird games are basically this studio’s bread and butter.
