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Konami released a new trailer for its upcoming game-making package Wai Wai World Craft, first revealed during last year's Tokyo Game Show. The "concepts" trailer offers our first look at some of the tools, assets, and options available to players en route to creating the next Game of the Year contender.
Wai Wai World Craft will include a variety of items and customisable textures, along with a cornucopia of colours and visual effects - allowing even absolute beginners an entry point to building their own interactable environments, complete with hazards, traps, and power-ups.
Users can adapt one of several "bases" into their own project, or build an entirely new game from scratch. Side-scrollers, 3D platformers, and even Battle Royale are among the genres offered as a jumping-off point, but with some creative thinking, I bet you could create so much more. Come on, I believe in you.
Wai Wai World has been designed as a social gaming tool, affording users the ability to instantly upload their creations for the entertainment (or scorn) of others, much like previous game builders such as Super Mario Maker. Other Wai Wai Craft users can play these games and leave scores and comments before sharing them directly with other users.
Wai Wai Craft games offer support for up to six players, with a range of playable "Actors" including Konami stars such as Castlevania's Simon Belmont, Contra heroes Bill & Lance, and everybody's favourite *checks notes* Primon from Primo. There are many more actors to be revealed, so hopefully Vic Viper is just fuelling up.
Playing, scoring, and sharing games will also award users Silver Points, which can be exchanged for more in-game items and Actor customisation options. So, the more you play, the more you can build. It's an interesting concept, and previous socially-focused game-builders resulted in some exceptionally good viral examples. Of course, as with any User-Generated Content (UGC) release, there's always the risk of better designs becoming buried beneath mountains of dreadful troll jobs. But hopefully, the scoring system will ensure that the best offerings will shine through.
It's an unenviably crowded market Konami is digging into - dominated by UGC titles like Fortnite and Roblox - but, who knows, maybe that old Up, Up, Down, Down, charm will sing. Do you know who that frog is? I don't know who that frog is.
Konami Wai Wai World Craft is currently in development for Steam, iOS and Android. There is no release date, but I wouldn't be surprised if we don't hear more from Konami at Tokyo Game Show later this month.