10 Video Game Genre Flips That Blew Our MIND

A rare situation where video game fan-favourite Tim Schafer and his Double Fine studio managed to land a big-budget deal, but it didn’t come without its speed bumps. Greenlit by Vivendi, axed by Activision, rescued by EA, and finally launched to middling sales - the result didn’t find its audience (at least initially), and one of the reasons could’ve been its zigzag road of genre destinations.

Jack Black (who was a major marquee name at the time) plays Eddie Riggs, a leather-clad, muscular roadie, whisked away to an underworld designed straight from the cover art of classic metal CDs. The story was filled with on-point punchlines, gorgeous and authentic worldbuilding, and quality voice acting - with cameos from Ozzy to Lemmy. Regardless, of the fan service, it did struggle with knowing what type of game it wanted to be.

At first, it presents itself as a third-person hack-and-slash with, eventually, open-world vehicular elements… so far, so 2009. But as the plot evolves, the world expands, and the gameplay ambitions grow, in come large-scale Stage Battles blending RTS and tower-defense mechanics, alongside rhythm-game solo boss battles.

The problem for many wasn’t that these elements existed, but how late in the game they appeared, creating pacing issues. Still, for its loyal audience, Schafer has never again been let loose at this budget and scale; the fact that he threw in every idea and the kitchen sink is part of its charm.