The French homebrew developer Gonesbrew has announced it is working on a new title for the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis, which it believes to be the "first Sega Megadrive' side-scrolling deathmatch" released for Sega's 16-bit console.
According to its developer, Vector F (as the project is called) is "not a shmup" nor even "a racer", despite what you may believe looking at footage of the initial trailer, but is instead what it suggests is an entirely new genre that "fuses deadly speed and arcade-style punishment" into "pure side-scrolling, action-packed" mayhem.
It is being developed by a small team that includes Rahzelk, as well as the YM2612 experts Cyberdeous, and a graphics artist named Luke, and crossed our radar recently thanks to a tip from one of our readers. However, it appears to have already been shown off at least one convention, with the title having appeared at WarpZone — an event based in Lyon, France — back in May of this year.
In the game, players get behind the controls of a collection of ultra-fast space ships, and are tasked with competing in two-person, 2D, high-speed deathraces, with the story focusing on a Running Man-esque futuristic game show, where convicts, rebels, and outcasts are forced to compete in "lethal test circuits" for their freedom.
Other influences, according to the team, include films like Total Recall and Gladiator, as well games like "WipEout, Thunder Force, Hang-On, Fatal Rewind, F-Zero, Destruction Derby, and Moto Roader."
As stated on the project's itch.io page, players will have a choice of 3 pilots and 3 ships to pick from, with the game featuring various power-ups (both defensive and offensive) for players to collect to turn the tide of battle, an in-game 16 competitor tournament mode, and "full-parallax 60fps tracks."
You can find out more about the project here. No release date announcement has been made as of yet.