‘Tumbleweed Express’ on track for June release

Take the mechanics of a tower defense game and a first-person shooter, the art style of “Borderlands,” mix in some Old West influence, drop the whole thing in a blender and you might have something approaching “Tumbleweed Express.”

“The two types of games [first-person shooter and tower defense] catered to two different types of audiences, and we wanted to see if we could do a type of mashup, essentially,” said Matthew Mauriello, one of the game’s developers.

The game, currently with nine days left on its Kickstarter campaign, is a literal rail shooter. The eponymous express is a train the player has to defend.

“One thing that certainly goes hand in hand with trains and railroads is the old west and western steampunk,” said Mauriello, a computer science doctorate student at the University of Maryland. “It allows us to be a bit more creative with enemies and the concept so that we’re not limited to do the western concept specifically.”

Fundraising for the game ends on Oct. 2, but Mauriello said the game’s production will continue regardless of whether the Kickstarter reaches its $24,000 goal.

In addition to the “Borderlands” franchise, another influence for the nine-man team at Dirigiballers was the Nintendo 64 classic “Star Fox 64.” Like that game, also a rail shooter, “Tumbleweed Express” will have little in the way of serious violence.

“There’s no biological death or gore or that. There’s certainly destruction, there’s certainly action, there’s just no violence per se,” Mauriello said. “The game’s really appealing not only to young children but also older adults.”

Rewards on the game’s Kickstarter campaign include T-shirts and posters. Stretch goals include features like an in-game developer commentary. The game is slated to be ready for digital release next June.