Next Up Hero, an Arcade Beat 'em Up From the Creators of Scribblenauts, Announced for Nintendo Switch

Aspyr Media announced today that a brand new arcade-style beat 'em up called Next Up Hero is on the way to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and (surprise!) Nintendo Switch early in 2018. This is an inventive new beat 'em up where dying is very much a part of the action. Groups of players will join forces and attempt, one at a time, to face a formidable group of monsters. You will inevitably perish in this attempt, but that's okay! That's where the real fun begins. Check out the announcement trailer above to get a taste of the action.

"Choose from nine heroes with an assortment of weapons and abilities to suit your playstyle, from swords and rocket launchers to laser turrets, bongo drums, and boomerangs. When you die, you'll leave behind an Echo of your hero on the battlefield. The next in the line of heroes will be able to resurrect your Echo as an AI battle companion. Take turns continuing friends' games, fighting and dying until you have an entire army of Echoes by your side, and enough strength to finally defeat those jerk monsters. Everyone dies. Heroes continue."

Sounds pretty awesome right? Imagine how much it will be to pour into a game session with your closest friends pretty much knowing that the first person to embark on the quest is going to die a martyr. One by one you and your buddies will try and fail to conquer these beasts until, finally, one of you will march onward with an army of friendly spooks to conquer those who once tore you to shreds. It's a interesting twist on a very stale genre, so we can't wait to see more.

While the game doesn't launch until 2018, it's already opened an exclusive closed beta and feedback is being collected from the community. Stay tuned, because Next Up Hero will be entering Early Access this fall, and you'll be able to go hands-on yourself and see what you think.