Energy Hook is rope-swinging parkour in a water wonderland

If Kevin Costner plied the bloated oceans of the flooded Earth in Waterworld by swinging like some sort of watery Tarzan from a thin rope of energy, I could almost forgive the gills scene . Very almost. For the rest of us non-mutated folk, we'll soon get the chance to rope around waterlogged ruins in Energy Hook , an indie parkour platformer in development by the folks behind the satisfying swing mechanics of Spider-Man 2. Don't confuse it with the already-great Gravity Hook , please.

Designers Jamie Fristrom and Paul Whitehead want to portray a future where energy hooks—grappling devices originally purposed for construction—landed in the hands of thrill-seekers naturally considering a devastated cityscape the perfect backdrop for hurling themselves through the air because, you know, style, man. Obstacle courses and free-roam areas are both in the works, and developer Happion Laboratories offered a happy comparison combination of "Spider-Man 2, Prototype, and Bionic Commando mixed with the racing and trick challenges of SSX or Tony Hawk."

Expect a Kickstarter campaign on December 8, but swing over to Energy Hook's website in the meantime for more talk and early footage.

Omri Petitte is a former PC Gamer associate editor and long-time freelance writer covering news and reviews. If you spot his name, it probably means you're reading about some kind of first-person shooter. Why yes, he would like to talk to you about Battlefield. Do you have a few days?