Is it just me, or is the Double Fine of 2011 channeling the spirit of DMA Design, circa 1996-99? Tim Schafer has just used GDC to reveal his studio's latest development, Trenched, a sort of darkly comic multiplayer mech shooter. Earth has been invaded by aliens and mankind's only defence is a unit of soldiers who command mobile trench robots, which appear to be massively customisable. "Turn no-man's land into real man's land," goes the tagline.

Typically, it looks thoroughly entertaining, and has a similar sense of stylised visual fun as Stacking and Costume Quest. Indeed, the company's output since it abandoned retail releases in favour of a digital business model, reminds me a lot of what Lemmings creator Dave Jones was overseeing at his DMA studio in the mid-nineties – eccentric ludic experiments created by small more-or-less autocratic teams. Already, in Trenched, there are hints of Body Harvest, DMA's N64 alien invasion shooter (which also had a '50s sci-fi movie feel), as well as Tanktics, a PC title in which you could build and modify your own mechanical battle vehicles.

DoubleFine has the same desire to match innovative concepts with playful aesthetics, and crucially it's doing it at the right time. DMA's mid-nineties output was too flawed and idiosyncratic to fare well in the retail space – its spirit would have been perfect for this era.

Anyway, Trenched is being developed for Xbox Live Arcade. Check out the trailer and let us know what you think.