Beatdown in the Holler

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past's Hookshot was a fundamental tool for navigating Hyrule (and the Dark World!), solving puzzles, and stunning enemies. It felt so satisfying to use and made the clunkiest, chain-y-est sound. I knew I wanted something similar in Just Beneath the Holler, but I also wanted to take it a step further.

What if the Hookshot didn't just stun enemies, but also reeled them towards Link?

And on the subject of reeling, what's more Appalachian than fishing?

Okay, lots more things, but fishing is part of the region's DNA. I know: I once spent a week on a pontoon, catching fish and getting sunburned. The point is, Zel is an Appalachian kid, it's natural for her to have a fishing pole, and that pole is the perfect Hookshot analog.

An integral part of Just Beneath the Holler's combat is the "reelshot" mechanic, where Zel draws stunned enemies to herself before dispatching them. I want the mechanic to be fast, to be responsive, and to be fun. I can't have those things unless the combat is thoroughly tested, so I decided on a standalone, precursor game.

That game is Beatdown in the Holler, a Vampire-Survivors-esque game that will push the reelshot combat to the point where I'm comfortable including it in Just Beneath the Holler. I'm planning for an early 2027 release: in the meantime, I'm finishing up the prototype, which will be available to newsletter subscribers on May 4^th of this year. I'm currently playtesting it internally to suss out all the bugs I can, leaving playtesters with the task of figuring out how to make the combat more fun.

If you want to be a playtester, you know what to do. Download keys and links to a feedback Google Form will go out on May 4^th, and that feedback will go into make Beatdown in the Holler the best game I can make it. Go ahead and subscribe. You know you want to beat some monsters to a pulp.