If you're a fan of The Smurfs, some good news is coming your way. Publisher Microids has announced a licensing deal with license-holders IMPS to bring The Smurfs to the world of videogames once more. This news comes just a couple of weeks after Microids announced a game based on Hergé's beloved comic book series The Adventures of TinTin.
The companies say the new Smurfs game will feature an entirely new story, so it won't be explicitly based on any existing Smurfs stories. Microids is promising "tons of humor, thrills, friendship, suspense, and...action" from the game, in keeping with what you'd expect from The Smurfs. It doesn't sound like the game will be going near the Smurfs movies, either; a press release says Microids and IMPS' collaboration will be "inspired by (original Smurfs artist) Peyo's comics".
What kind of game will The Smurfs be?
Gameplay-wise, we don't know a huge amount about the upcoming Smurfs game yet. It's being developed by French developer and Microids collaborator OSome Studio. Previous projects from that outfit include work on the Asterix & Obelix: XXL series as well as noir horror game White Night. We'd hazard a guess that the Smurfs game will be closer in tone and gameplay to the former than the latter.
IMPS and Microids' press release describes the Smurfs game as a "new 3D action-adventure game". You'll be able to play it either alone or with your friends, although we don't know yet whether that means co-op or competitive play. We do know the Smurfs game will feature "the most iconic characters of this IP", so expect to see fan favorites like Smurfette, Papa Smurf, and Brainy Smurf.
We'll likely learn more about the upcoming Smurfs game over the next few weeks and months. As soon as we know more, we'll bring you more information. In the meantime, start brushing up on your Smurfs vocabulary. The language is surprisingly nuanced, after all.
What are you hoping to see in the Smurfs game? Let us know in the comments below!
