Glorious Leader! is a silly shooter which pits Kim Jong Un against America
But will Apple accept it?
Not many games offer you the chance to play as the supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but Glorious Leader! does.
It's an over-the-top, 16-bit run-and-gun shooter that has you playing as Kim Jong Un. But it didn't start out that way. Jeff Miller of developer Moneyhorse Games revealed to us how Kim Jong Un became the main character.
"Well, the original idea was to have the player take control of a North Korean soldier and fight the Americans with a little help from Kim Jong Un here and there."
"I showed a few people some mocked up screenshots and everyone got really excited by Kim Jong Un."
"The faceless North Korean soldier got no love, so I decided just to go for it and refocus the game on the most interesting man in the world."
It's as simple as that. Everyone loves the idea of playing Kim Jong Un, it seems. But that's far from the most ridiculous aspect of Glorious Leader!.
Miller went on to outline a few of the silly things you'll be able to do in the game. You know, other than shooting up the entire American army as the tubby leader from Pyongyang.
"Riding Unicorns is a given, since North Korea is the only country with a Unicorn lair." Obviously.
"Did you know that the Statue of Liberty was secretly upgraded in the 80s to be a fully functioning mecha in order to defend against a Soviet invasion? Well, it's finally going to see some action in Glorious Leader!"
"Special attacks center around calling down your dearly departed father from heaven to destroy your foes."
I told you. Glorious Leader! is a hyperbolic action-flick you can play, and in the best kind of way.
Of course, it's a satire, and Miller is pushing his thumb down hard on that angle. The fear being that it goes beyond satire and makes more overt or serious attempts at political commentary.
"The game is definitely satire, but I am still trying to find the right balance as we make it."
"The tone of the game must remain fun, so I am not going to tackle the really horrible human rights abuses. I don't want to ridicule anyone per se, but just amp up the ridiculousness that already exists on all sides."
Still, even though Glorious Leader! is satire, it's hard to imagine Apple approving it for release on the iOS App Store. Apple has a history of rejecting apps that depict real-world figures and countries.
Just last year, Joyful Executions was rejected by Apple for its satire of North Korean propaganda. Miller remains determined to get Glorious Leader! on iOS, though.
"I will be submitting to Apple. I love playing iPhone and iPad games, so I would be thrilled to see Glorious Leader! there.
"I have read their guidelines and looked at games which have been rejected in order to figure out what approach to take. I will make a build that removes anything I think violate their policy, but ultimately I don't know our chances of getting in.
"I always knew that this game would face adversity based on its subject matter, so I plan on just rolling with it.
Glorious Leader! will be coming to PC and mobile platforms later this year. On PC, it plays like Contra or Metal Slug. But Miller and his team are still experimenting with the controls on the mobile version.
"I'm not a very big fan of virtual d-pads in general. We are currently testing several control schemes for mobile.
"Most of them revolve around auto-running and some with auto-fire as well, giving the player time to manage jumping, dodging, and changing weapons.
"But don't think that it will be an endless runner. I am too much in love with boss battles and unique stages to fully go that route."
You can follow Glorious Leader! on the Moneyhorse Games website.
