A Decade of Spooky Climbs
Oh boy, how time flies! Halloween madness is happening for the 10th time in Hill Climb Racing 2, and this November the game itself will celebrate its 10th anniversary. That feels like a pretty special reason to look back at some of the creativity behind the game.
From what I’ve witnessed over the years, Halloween has always been a time when the artists behind the game can go even wilder with weird, scary and sometimes completely ridiculous ideas.
Firstly, I want to focus on the Halloween characters the game team have created over these past ten Halloweens. In my view, the characters have always felt somewhat overlooked compared to the vehicles, yet I’ve always considered them an essential part of the game.
One of the most enjoyable things about HCR2 characters is the ability to mix and match their components – heads, bodies, legs, hats and whatever else works – creating combinations that were probably never meant to exist. Somehow, each piece from the Halloween characters have always felt especially strong and memorable.
So, are you ready for a nostalgic journey back to the very first Halloween update in 2017 to today? I promise you’ll discover some fascinating insights into the creative process and inspirations behind these beloved characters.
2017 – First Halloween
Our first-ever Hill Climb Racing 2 Halloween character set was packed full of rich detail yet delightfully goofy with a sprinkle of naivety. Bill Newton appeared as a Vampire alongside the Vampiress and Skeleton. As for the vehicles, the team created Halloween-inspired skins for the Rally Car, Hill Climber and Scooter.
However, there was also something truly unforgettable: Zombie Bills. A horde of zombified Bill Newtons pursued you relentlessly as you desperately tried to escape in your vehicle. This effectively encapsulates the early days of Hill Climb Racing 2. Most character skins were essentially variations of Bill Newton, featuring different outfits, hairstyles and accessories centred around the same familiar figure.
2018 – Frank
Is HCR2 even a game if there is no classic Frankenstein reference? In October 2018, Frank arrived in the game with his Rally Car.
Frank’s scalp was removed, revealing an engine instead of a brain, while his brain was discovered beneath the Rally Car’s hood. The idea of hiding an engine inside Frank’s head came from a simple, playful thought: the cymbal-banging monkey inside Homer Simpson’s head.
The fully developed Climb Canyon character with a roaring engine in his head might appear in one of the Hill Climb Racing games next year. Whether it’s true or not, time will tell.
2019 – Jack
At first glance, Jack doesn’t exactly look like the most horrifying Halloween character – a huge pumpkin head, ragged dirty clothes, and a long scarf patterned like a racing chequered flag.
The real terror lay hidden beneath the pumpkin: a flaming skull. This made Jack the first-ever animated character skin in Hill Climb Racing 2.
The main inspiration came from the mythical Headless Horseman, combined with influences from Ghost Rider and World of Warcraft. Jack arrived in the game alongside his Pumpkin Wagon, which back then was an experiment to test the limits of how detailed a vehicle skin could be.
Looking back, I’d confidently say that Jack has become a truly iconic skin. This perhaps explains his prominent placement in the new HCR2 splash screen.
2020 – Ram
When you already have Vampire and Frankenstein references roaming the roads of Climb Canyon, what else could be missing? Exactly! A mummy.
Halloween 2020 continued our exploration of classic movie monsters with Ram. However, the choice of a mummy wasn’t actually rooted in classic horror films. The inspiration actually came from Iron Maiden’s iconic Powerslave cover art, which drew heavily from ancient Egyptian motifs. This Egyptian theme then extended to Ram’s Hotrod skin, which incorporated the design of ancient Egyptian war chariots.
2021 – Gilbert
Since 2019, Hill Climb Racing 2 had offered players a chance to explore deep underwater in Rustbucket Reef, but it wasn’t until Halloween 2021 that the true master of the reef, Gilbert, finally emerged. He arrived alongside a grotesque sea monster version of the Rotator constructed from wood tentacles, eyes, and other underwater hazards. And the inspiration? The Gill-man of the 1954 horror classic Creature from the Black Lagoon.
2022 – Gaspar
Our yearly dose of horror arrived in Hill Climb Racing 2 in 2022 by the way of a ghost named Gaspar, accompanied by his spooky Lowrider – half car, half ghost.
Legend has it that Gaspar’s crash was so terrible that it transformed him into a ghost. Ever since that fateful night, the ghost has been haunting the perilous roads of Climb Canyon. The character’s inspiration might be traced back to the classic Ghostbusters movie, while his name may also be a small nod to Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Gaspar also featured some fantastic shader effects, once more demonstrating Halloween’s perfect timing for the game team artists to experiment and showcase their creativity.
2023 – Rusty Axelrot
With the COVID-19 global health emergency coming to an end in 2023, it somehow felt fitting that Rusty Axelrot became the main character of our spooky season that year.
Rusty, inspired by the eerie plague doctors of 17th-century Europe, unleashes a disease that rusts vehicles rather than harming people. Alongside him came a Muscle Car skin made out of bone and flesh; thankfully, neither can rust.
Funnily enough, Rusty also became the first character skin in Hill Climb Racing 2 without feet.
2024 – Harvest
Halloween 2024 delivered a masterclass in creativity and experimentation. Players were treated to the horrifyingly animated Harvest – a floating creature of twisted vines, pumpkins and as plain fear. His nightmarish appearance was heightened by his Dragon Hoverbike which transformed into a flying skeleton.
The vehicle skin raised the bar once more with regard to what was possible with shader work and special particle effects. For the Hill Climb Racing 2 artists, Halloween is a perfect time to unleash their creativity and transform the visual development process into an experimental laboratory.
Quoting Art Lead Antti Löytynoja: “It is the most wonderful time of the year.”
2025 – Rotwood
Last year, the spooky season arrived with the foul stench of rot in the air. Rotwood and his Mythic ATV ventured into Climb Canyon. The character embodied the best Halloween traditions of HCR2, but what truly stood out from my perspective was the crow that followed him. This unexpected little surprise added to the overall experience for players.
A slightly disturbing fact whispered by the developers was that Rotwood eats gasoline to stay alive. No surprise then that one of the references behind the character was Oogie Boogie from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Rotwood also undertook a secret side project creating a unique interpretation of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Rusty embodied pestilence, Harvest personified death, Rotwood represented famine and Zarek (a non-Halloween character) epitomised war.
2026 – Mollis Tattimus
Perhaps somewhere in the dusty depths of the Fingersoft office lies a forgotten book titled The Great Below. It’s said to contain tales of the world hidden deep within Climb Canyon.
From this subterranean realm emerges Mollis Tattimus, navigating the treacherous caverns with his Offroader – or rather his skeletal remains. According to the HCR2 team, the truth is even more sinister. The mushroom spread its mycelium through a deceased miner, haphazardly pieced together his body parts into some human resemblance and has been pulling the strings ever since.
At least I’ll have a clear idea of who I’ll be taking for a drive to truly embrace the Halloween spirit in 2026…
Outro
Pfff! That was a wild ride.
My original plan was to create a nostalgic walk down memory lane in a clichéd spooky Halloween mood. Somehow, it evolved into something more akin to a Valentine’s Day love letter to the HCR2 art team. Their imagination, creativity, and constant drive to surprise us as players with fresh and unexpected content truly shine through.
Perhaps that was the whole point of this wannabe blog all along. I’m taking off my invisible hat to Hill Climb Racing 2 Art Lead Antti Löytynoja and the team: Elena, Julianna, Samuel, Anton, and Veli!
And to you, whether you’re Frank, Rotwood, or a unique blend of Jack’s flaming skull and Rusty’s long legs, have a Happy f**king Spooktober this Halloween!
Davis Nore
Brand Director
