5th Cell: Hybrid is a shooter like "no one's ever tried before"

Scribblenauts developer 5th Cell has said not to worry about its upcoming XBLA game Hybrid being just another shooter, because the game, like its others, will not be a "clone of something else".

Speaking with Kotkau, the game's creative director Jeremiah Slaczka said even though at its core Hybrid is a shooter, it's a shooter like "no one's ever tried before".

"I think people like to put things in their boxes," said Slaczka. "[They believe] 5th Cell's box is quirky, 2D handheld games. But that's not all there is to us. We like trying new things, expanding and pushing ourselves continually to try different ideas.

"Have any of our games been just another clone of something else? Sure, at its core it's a shooter, but it's a shooter no one has ever tried before. I've always wanted to try my hand at the competitive shooter genre. I grew up on them, and many people in our company did as well. XBLA is a perfect market to give it a try; the budgets are lower risk, but the audience is still there."

A trailer was released for the game along with the initial announcement last month, and so far, reaction has been positive, according to Slaczka.

"People's reactions are wonderful," he said. "They're intrigued, curious, even a bit confused, asking things like why isn't 5th Cell in its box where I left it? Why is everything I know about them upside down? Given our background, most fans believe we'll offer an original take on the genre.

"Of course we will. If you want to be an innovator, that's how you do it. You constantly change things up."

Hybrid is slated for release on XBLA next year.