The first wholly independently developed game to be distributed through Steam, and certainly one of last year's most outragiously original titles, Rag Doll Kung Fu will also be punching its way into North American retail stores this summer, thanks to Merscom's agreement with Lionhead Studios and the game's creator, Mark Healey (now of Media Molecule). In yesterday's announcement, Merscom said it would release the game during August for $19.99, and that the retail version will ship with a non-Steam build for players without Internet connectivity as well as the Steam version for free updates, patches and community support.

"Rag Doll Kung Fu" uses entirely physics-based animation and collision; there are no pre-set animation routines, no button combinations to memorize or locked-in fighting moves. Unlike any other fighting game on the market, "Rag Doll Kung Fu" allows players to use a mouse to move the characters' limbs as if they were puppets on strings. By coordinating movements of the arms, legs and body, players can orchestrate impressive attack moves and defensive maneuvers. Sounds tricky, but it doesn't take long before players are spinning through the air like Romanian gymnasts!

In addition to its original, addictive gameplay, "Rag Doll Kung Fu" includes 16 levels of story mode complete with a retro-style kung fu film. Players can also import graphics and use pre-made body parts to construct their own unique characters. A variety of single-player mini games include Ninja Onslaught, ChuChu Wing Pooh, Rag Doll Soccer and Rag Doll Athletics. With several USB-compatible mice and a Windows XP computer, "Rag Doll Kung Fu" allows for multiplayer games all on one machine. Players don't have to fight; they can dance, chat, or act with up to 8 other players online or through a local area network connection. Users can make their own kung fu movies by recording the action with the game's movie maker. There are also unlockable secrets such as a music-mixer that allows players to remix audio tracks.

If you haven't tried it yet... well, you should. It's way crazy!

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)