New Blip: Alwa's Legacy

In 2017, Elden Pixels released Alwa's Awakening, a metroidvania done up in the graphical style of the 8-bit era. The game stars Zoe, a heroine who is summoned from another world to save the land of Alwa from the evil Vicar by using her magical powers. Alwa's Legacy marks the return of Zoe - who doesn't remember visiting Alwa before - and she must once again save the land with her magic, but this time her spells can be upgraded for new effects. As before, the world is open and players can use magic to combat enemies and to navigate the environment, such as creating blocks that can be knocked into enemies, or creating bubbles that can be ridden upward to reach high platforms. Of course, Zoe can smack enemies with her magical staff to cause melee damage, which can also be enhanced with magic. The visuals have been given an overhaul as well, with the new game appearing more in line with the 16-bit era.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One this Spring.




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Target Acquired: MoonQuest

MoonQuest, from Ben Porter, is a strange game starring a moonman (and some other characters) on a quest to bring light to his world by collecting moon fragments in a procedurally-generated action adventure. The world is surrounded by many moons, and these fragments may be found by exploring caves and tombs, or by killing creatures who have eaten them. The player hacks and slashes his way through a number of enemies, equips weapons and armor, and uses items to construct buildings. Adding to the game's odd humor are a number of helmets that cover the player character's face with traditional medieval armor, as well as others in the shapes of animal heads, including a cat and a pig. New weapons and armor may be purchased from merchants or forged by blacksmiths, and the player is able to find lots of items in the world that can be used and traded, and he can chop down trees and dig for treasure through the fully-destructible world.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and Itch.

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Target Acquired: Out of Fix

Out of Fix is the product of several students from PÔLE 3D, a 2D/3D animation school based in France, and was developed over the course of three months. The bite-sized precision/puzzle platformer takes place aboard a spaceship that has crashed onto an unknown planet. You take on the role of a maintenance robot that activates many years after the crash to find that the ship has been overrun by alien life forms. Fortunately, the robot can use these life forms to traverse the ship by attacking them, bouncing off of them, and dashing through them in order to stay aloft and avoid the ship's unusually high number of spike traps. As the game progresses, the player must complete more complex movement sequences, occasionally interspersed with platforms that disappear and reappear with each dash.

The game is now available for free on PC via Itch. Check our coverage here.

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New Blip: Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth

Record of Lodoss War began as popular series of Japanese novels, and later went on to receive numerous manga and anime adaptations, as well as several video games, and it returns once again in the form of a metroidvania entitled Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. The game is the result of a team-up between Team Ladybug (developers of Touhou Luna Nights, Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue, and KonoSuba God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! Revival of Beldia) and Why So Serious? (developer of Gensokyo Night Festival), and stars Deedlit, the series' elven heroine, as she awakens in an unusual and unknown place and begins encountering some of her old friends. The game wears its Symphony of the Night inspirations on its sleeve, but increases the visual fidelity with higher resolutions and extremely smooth animations. Deedlit attacks with quick melee strikes using a variety of weapons, and she discovers some ranged weapons as well. In addition, she is able to absorb spirit energy by defeating enemies, allowing her to take advantage of these spirits' powers to increase her attack power, defense, and regenerative abilities.

The game is coming to PC via Steam Early Access on March 13.




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

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Early Arrival: Skul: The Hero Slayer

Skul: The Hero Slayer, from SouthPAWGames, stars a young skeleton warrior and member of the castle guard, as he fights against brave heroes, plucky adventurers, and warriors of light, across a colorful pixellated world. Skul's king has been taken by an army of the living, and he must kill them all by smashing them with his bone club and tossing his skull Decap Attack-style, or he can take on new abilities by swapping skulls... By taking off his skull and replacing it with others, he is able to gain new abilities and weapons, such as equipping a warrior's helmet in order to attack as an armored knight with a sword, or using a samurai's skull to perform quick slashes with a katana.

The game is now available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam Early Access, and it's also planned for release on PS4 and Switch.

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New Blip: Fury Unleashed

Awesome Games Studio, the developers behind the family friendly platformer Oozi: Earth Adventure, is back to wreck your sauce (ed note: your sauce will be fine) with Fury Unleashed, a fast-paced guns-a-blazin' actioner where you shred enemies across the pages of three comic books that contain randomized elements. You spray enemies with bullets from submachine guns, blast them with shotguns, torch them with flamethrowers, get up close for knife slashes, and warble-dee-doo them with alien weapons and advanced prototypes, and your attacks grow stronger as you string together combos. The game features customizable characters, a selection of weapons to bring into battle, and an extensive upgrade tree, along with 2P co-op for double the destruction as you fight your way through baddies and screen-filling bosses, with a heavy metal soundtrack blaring away in the background... just as nature intended.

The game is coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch later this year. You can play the PC version now via Steam Early Access.




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

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New Blip: 30XX

In 2017, Batterystaple Games released 20XX, which featured colorful fast-paced robot action inspired by the Mega Man X series, but with a roguelike twist. And now, a mere 1,000 years later... er, a few years later anyway, they have returned with a follow-up entitled 30XX. The game once again features roguelike action with single player and 2P local or online co-op options. You take on the role of a blue armored character who can fire regular and charged buster shots similar to X, or a red armored character with a sword that plays more like Zero. Combat is fast and fluid with detailed characters, colorful environments, and lots of enemies and bosses ready for a good thrashing... plus new powers to unlock.

The game is coming to PC and consoles (probably PS4, Switch, and Xbox One if the prior game is any indication), but it does not yet have an announced release date... Probably sooner than 30XX though.




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

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New Blip: Exit the Gungeon

Remember Enter the Gungeon? It was a gun-themed bullet hell roguelike dungeon crawler with an oddball sense of humor, where the ultimate reward was a gun that could kill the past. Well, Dodge Roll is back and teaming up with Singlecore for a follow-up -slash- spin-off called Exit the Gungeon. ("Just when I thought I was in, they pull me back out!") So the past got erased at the end of the first game (um, spoilers), creating a paradox that is causing the Gungeon to collapse, and your goal is to get out (in case you hadn't guessed that from the title). Instead of an overhead dungeon crawler experience, this is an ascent-based shooty platformer, which retains its roguelike bullet hell roots. Players must ride up elevators of various sorts, hover on top of balloons, and ride various mechanical contraptions on their way to the top of the ever-shifting Gungeon. Along the way, players must blast baddies, dodge bullets, and take on menacing bosses that would like to see them plummeting to their doom.

The game technically already came out on Apple Arcade last year... but that doesn't really count. It's coming to PC this Spring so regular humans can play it, and it's planned for release on Switch, PS4, and Xbox One at or around the same time.




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

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Target Acquired: MindSeize

MindSeize, from Kamina Dimension, is a sci-fi action-adventure that pits you against a mysterious organization called The Ascended, which is capable of stealing people's minds. You take on the role of a private investigator whose daughter was a victim of this organization, so you put together a crew, connect your mind to a highly-maneuverable robot body, and travel from planet to planet on a quest to take them down. The game allows you to equip a pair of weapons, mix and match melee and projectile weapons to suit your playstyle, and earn new movement abilities that allow you to explore large environments and take down enemies and hulking robotic bosses.

The game is now available for PC via Steam.




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

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Early Arrival: ScourgeBringer

ScourgeBringer is the latest from Neurovoider developer Flying Oak Games. You take on the role of a plucky badass named Kyhra as she hops and slashes her way through a sidescrolling roguelike world. Combat is fast and fluid, allowing Kyhra to move quickly from enemy to enemy to dispatch them with speedy swordery, intermixed with serious platforming skills that allow her wall jump, run up walls, and perform dashing downward strikes. Between bouts of bashing baddies and bosses, you delve into the depths to discover mysterious machinery... and maybe save the world. The game also features a cool sounds by Joonas Turner (Downwell, Nuclear Throne).

The game is now available on PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam.




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

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Target Acquired: Rocketron

Rocketron is the latest from Astro Port, the developer behind mech-based actioners Gigantic Army and Steel Strider. But this time, rather than tromping around in a giant mech suit, you take on the role of a cyberhuman named B.L.A.M. (which is the name I'm planning to give to my first three children) as he explores a metroidvania landscape spread across six themed areas. B.L.A.M. starts the game with a basic rifle, but quickly earns a machine gun and a shotgun, followed by homing shuriken, rockets, and more, and each of these weapons may be swapped at will and upgraded to six increasingly powerful levels. However, if the player takes too much damage, he loses access to his equipped weapon temporarily, so the player must weigh the risk of using his favorite weapon during the tougher segments. There are loads of popcorn enemies, interspersed with a few heavier bots, and numerous hulking bosses.

The game will be available on PC via Steam this Friday (February 7). Check our coverage here.

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