Action Henk Races to Nintendo Wii U: Inside RageSquid’s Indie Speedrunning Hit

Dutch indie developer RageSquid made waves in the speedrunning community with Action Henk, a physics-based platformer featuring Running, Jumping, and the now-iconic Butt-Sliding.

Released first on PC via Steam in May 2015 to positive reception, Action Henk has since soared from its humble indie roots to reach console audiences.

With the support of publisher Curve Digital, the beloved action figure hero is making a much-anticipated leap to the Nintendo Wii U eShop, riding the momentum of Nintendo’s growing support for innovative indie titles under its 'Nindie' program. Set in a vibrant world inspired by 90s toys and childhood nostalgia, Action Henk challenges players to race through handcrafted levels as the out-of-shape action figure Henk, alongside a quirky cast of characters like Betty.

Designed to tap into the spirit of speedrunning, the game’s simple yet precise move set encourages players to shave every possible second off their times, fostering repeat play and mastery. In an interview at EGX 2015, RageSquid co-founder and programmer Roel Ezendam discussed the studio’s origins: "At first, we were just a group of friends from a game development course, participating in small game jams.

After some freelance work helped us build a financial foundation, we officially established ourselves as RageSquid and dove deep into professional game development." Environment artist Roan Albers added, "Bringing Action Henk to consoles—especially working alongside Nintendo—has fulfilled a childhood dream.

Nintendo’s focus on indies through the ‘Nindie’ initiative has been instrumental in supporting teams like ours." Ezendam explained that Action Henk’s core gameplay emerged from a desire to create a physics-based platformer with intuitive mechanics.

"We took inspiration from games like Trials, aiming for easy-to-learn controls that reveal layers of skill and nuance.

Instead of relying on stat upgrades, our approach was to let players improve through learning and mastering each level’s subtle tricks—facilitated by racing against ghosts for bronze, silver, and gold medals." The toy-centric art direction, with unmistakable nods to Toy Story, reflects the team’s fondness for blending realistic details with vibrant, playful visuals.

"Toy Story 3’s depiction of Andy’s room inspired us to fill levels with posters and nostalgic references, all evoking the childhood toys and games we loved," said Albers. RageSquid prioritized a gradual difficulty curve, introducing mechanics organically rather than through text-heavy tutorials.

"Level design encourages discovery," Ezendam noted, "like realizing sliding uphill will cost you speed—a concept we integrate visually and through gameplay flow." The expanded Wii U version benefits from Off-TV Play, allowing users to enjoy the action on the GamePad.

While adding multiplayer features presented technical challenges due to the unique demands of console infrastructure, RageSquid has worked closely with Curve Digital to deliver a polished package optimized for the Wii U experience. On the publishing side, RageSquid credits Curve Digital with not only handling the technical port but also providing essential marketing muscle—a common hurdle for small development teams more versed in coding than publicizing. Asked about Action Henk’s future, Ezendam expressed openness: "Action Henk as a world and set of characters has a lot of potential, but we’re excited to explore wherever our next creative direction leads us." Action Henk stands as a testament to the synergy between indie creativity and publisher support.

Its arrival on the Nintendo Wii U eShop underscores Nintendo’s commitment to innovative independent games, giving a new generation of players the chance to relive toybox adventures at breakneck speed.

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