New Release: Cannon Dancer - Osman

An enhanced edition of a bombastic arcade actioner, from Mitchell Corporation and ININ Games

New Release: Hazard Saviour

An open world platformer inspired by Crazy Taxi, from Sinclair Strange

New Release: Ginsha

An open world action-adventure that takes place across multiple planets, from PolarityFlow

New Release: Haunted Lands: Burial Grounds

A tough and bloody DOS-style shooter, from Alexey Goryachev

New Release: Curse of the Sea Rats

An open world action-adventure featuring 2D animation and 3D environments, from Petoons Studio

July 31, 2018

Target Acquired: Chasm

Bit Kid, formerly Discord Games, the developers behind Xbox Live Indie Games titles Take Arms and 48 Chambers, returns with an action-RPG that mixes roguelike and Metroidvania elements. Chasm focuses on exploration through a procedurally generated cave system as you fight your way through enemies and bosses, grab loot, hunt for secrets, and hopefully return home alive. Players are able to equip weapons and spells, along with armor and passive buffs, as they fight enemies to gain experience points and level up, similar to the neo-Castlevania titles. As is typical of rogelikes, the dangers increase as you descend further into the depths of the mine, but you may return to the surface to do things like purchase weapon upgrades from the local blacksmith before heading back into the fray.

The game is now available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam and Humble Store, and PS4 and Vita via PSN.



July 29, 2018

Target Acquired: The Vagrant

The Vagrant, from O.T.K Games, is an action-RPG set a in a beautiful fantasy world and inspired by the works of Vanillaware. The game stars a travelling "sellsword" named Vivian (The Vagrant) who hopes to find her family and learn the truth her dark origins. In doing so, she must hack and slash her way through dozens of unique enemies across the land of Mythrilia, passing through the houses of a seaside town, and into mountainous landscapes, dense jungles, ravaged fortresses, and barren landscapes. Players will find numerous weapons and pieces of armor that can be upgraded independently, learn recipes to cook healing and buff items, and upgrade Vivian's skills along a robust skill tree.

The game is now available on PC via Steam. Check our coverage here.




July 26, 2018

New Blip: Paprium

WaterMelon Games, the studio behind Pier Solar, returns with Paprium, a colorful 16-bit brawler. The game takes place in Asia following a devastating nuclear war known as Paprium. You fight your way through a 24-level cityscape with one of three warriors: Tug, Alex and Dice, or a couple of unannounced characters, going it alone or teaming up with a friend in 2P co-op. In typical beat 'em up fashion, players will smash enemies with their fists and feet, perform powerful throws, double-tap dash, and beat up the occasional environmental object for some tasty items. Players can also pick up weapons like pipes and chains to lay down heavy damage or fire extinguishers that freeze enemies in place. The Arcade Mode allows for straightforward brawling, while the Original Mode has branching paths, save points, and multiple endings.

The game is coming to the Sega Genesis console (it will run on actual Genesis consoles, not aftermarket systems) in a standard cartridge with plastic clam shell case and full color manual, or in a limited edition deluxe version. In conjunction with the game's release, the studio is releasing a limited number of 8-button fighting sticks that will be compatible with the Genesis and USB devices. All items area available for preorder on the game's website.

Trailer content warning: man-nips.


To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.

July 24, 2018

New Blip: 198X

198X, from Hi-Bit Studios (game site), is a coming-of-age tale set in the 1980's and tied to the arcade games of that era. You take on the role of a teenager who finds herself drawn to the pixellated glory of arcade games but discovers the line blurring between gaming and reality. 198X actually includes five separate arcade-style games, each in a different genre, including a beat 'em up, a shmup, a racing game, a ninja actioner, and an RPG, and each of these games is realized with stunning pixel art.

The game is coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch in March of 2019. A physical package is available for preorder on the game's Kickstarter page.




To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.

July 22, 2018

Target Acquired: Rifter

IMakeGames, the developer behind Nubs' Adventure, returns with something that has a significantly faster pace. Rifter combines the blazing speed of infinite runners with the angled surfaces of Dustforce and the grappling of Bionic Commando to create breakneck momentum-based gameplay. Players run across flat surfaces, dash down slopes, grapple around corners, smash through obstacles, and bash enemies while staying on the move and attempting to reach the goal as quickly as possible... but it's not all just environmental challenges; the player also faces huge boss creatures that require him to target weak points and reel in to crush them.

The game is now available on PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam. Check our coverage here.




July 17, 2018

New Blip: The Messenger

The world has a love-hate relationship with the original Ninja Gaiden series on NES. On the one hand, it's a cult classic series, but on the other, the games were frustrating as hell, particularly the original... but that hasn't stopped developers from mimicking this style with creations of their own. Enter The Messenger from developer Sabotage Studio and publisher Devolver Digital. The game offers similar visuals to Ninja Gaiden but gives the player a more capable hero. In addition to basic platforming, sword slashing, and shuriken tossing, the ninja can unlock new gear that allows him to swim underwater, use a grappling line to draw himself toward walls or enemies, and even use a cape to ride air currents to reach higher platforms or attack enemies from above. A robust skill tree allows players to select upgrades to increase their effectiveness in combat, or add to their navigational abilities to explore the open environments and discover secrets. Players can even shift forward in time, and the graphics shift along with them, offering enhanced visuals and audio more in line with the 16-bit era, and shifting between timelines allows players to take advantages to changes in the environment between eras.

The game is coming to PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One later this year.




To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.

July 12, 2018

New Blip: Valfaris

So, let's get this out of the way right up front... In 2016, a beautiful and atmospheric game called Slain was released, and it basically looked like a heavy metal album cover come to life in glorious 2D. Unfortunately, the game had loads of problems at release, not the least of which were a poorly-implemented combo system, cumbersome controls, bad writing, and simply awful sound design... some of which was addressed in the retitled re-release called Slain: Back from Hell. So, if you've heard bad things about the developer, this is why. Developer Steel Mantis (game tweets) has a new and similarly-gorgeous actioner entitled Valfaris, which promises to be "a heavy metal space saga". The game features melee- and projectile-based combat as the player ventures through dark gothic environments fighting detailed - and often grotesque - biological and mechanical enemies and bosses, leaving behind sprays of blood, gobs of goo, and piles of bodies in his wake. Environments are dark and gritty and filled with moving elements and enemy creatures, and the game is accompanied by a heavy metal soundtrack.

The game is coming to PC later this year. So far, there's only a teaser trailer, but here's a whole mess of gameplay footage so you can see it in action:




To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.

July 10, 2018

New Blip: Saving Princess 2

So here's a little-known indie gem: Saving Princess. The game never got much attention on account of the PC version only ever being released on Itch.io (also on Android), but it's a solid nonlinear action platformer that plays like a mix of Metroid and Mega Man. BRAINOS returns with Saving Princess 2, which picks up two years after the original and once again stars Portia, an asset recovery specialist. Her latest adventure finds her on Harpyiae Outpost, a research station floating around a gaseous planet, and she must escape once more with PRINCESS while outwitting the station's artificial intelligence. As before, Portia must run, jump, and blast her way through the environment, and upgrade her weapon to allow for "blast jumping" which is used to cross gaps and fight enemies, but this time she has additional weapon customizations available to her which may be equipped for different effects such as faster reload speeds or larger projectiles.

If you missed out on the original game, there's no better time to give it a try, since it's available as PWYW (pay what you want) on Itch.io. In the meantime, stay tuned for word on the sequel, which is planned to release on PC and Android sometime this year. Check out some early footage:




To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.

July 5, 2018

New Blip: Cathedral

Cathedral, from Decemberborn Interactive, is an NES-style action-platformer starring a red-armored knight fighting his way through dungeons and cathedrals filled with dark creatures. Players must complete platforming challenges, avoid pits of spikes, hop on moving platforms, and activate switches to make their way forward, all the while slashing enemies, blocking projectiles, and performing downward strikes to take down enemies and bosses. Outside of dungeon diving, players interact with NPC's in villages to learn more about the world around them. Players can also acquire new items and equipment to enhance their combat skills and movement abilities to attack enemies from a distance and reach new areas.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, and Linux later this year.




To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.

July 3, 2018

New Blip: Feudal Alloy

Attu Games, the developer behind Toby: The Secret Mine, returns with Feudal Alloy, a game starring a robot controlled by a fish. The robot smashes his way through a hand-drawn medieval landscape with his trusty sword, destroying mechanical creatures, fighting bosses, and interacting with robot NPC's that allow him to choose his path forward. The game features a robust upgrade tree and dozens of pieces of equipment to increase your damage output, defense, and movement abilities.

The game is planned for PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One and will be released this summer.




To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.

July 2, 2018

Target Acquired: CometStriker

CometStriker is the latest from Iced Lizard Games, the developers behind a fun little ninja game called Mute Crimson+. This time, you take on the role of an astronaut who must blast through aliens and machines to collect four power cores needed to fire a massive planetary defense cannon. Players can move freely but can only shoot to the left or right, as well as dash short distances, and these abilities may be supplemented with powerups that add additional dashes, unleash more firepower, or let players take a hit without depleting the health meter. Players are encouraged to complete each of the single-screen environments quickly and rack up big points by keeping a score multiplier going, and these rankings may be shared via online leaderboards. There are a number of unlockables to be had by making progress in the main game, including a boss rush mode and several new playable characters with different abilities.

The game is now available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam. Check our coverage here.