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 30, 2020

New Blip: Dark Light

Dark Light, from Mirari+Co., is a gritty sci-fi actioner set in a cyberpunk world populated by supernatural creatures that are invisible to the naked eye. You take on the role of a Dark Hunter, and you use light from a hovering drone to detect these invisible enemies. Once they have been revealed, you can smash them with your trusty sledgehammer, or use one of many guns, melee weapons, or throwables that you encounter during your mission. Enemies range from loping ghouls to flying dragons to hulking abominations, along with more advanced foes capable of wielding weapons and shields. The game offers nonlinear progression and the ability to upgrade weapons and skills by collecting shards from defeated enemies.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, and Switch, and is currently available via Steam Early Access.

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

July 29, 2020

New Blip: Vibrant Venture

Vibrant Venture, from Semag Games, is a lighthearted platformer set in a bright and colorful (and vibrant!) world. The game stars four playable characters, each of whom has two character-specific abilities, and the player is able to swap between them on the fly to navigate the world and solve environmental puzzles. For instance, one character can perform a double jump, one can wall jump and ground slam, one can strike enemies with a water-based attack and perform an air dash, and one can hover on air currents. Knowing when to swap characters is key to passing through levels, defeating enemies, and overcoming bosses.

The game is coming to PC and Mac and is currently available via Steam Early Access.


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

July 28, 2020

New Blip: Eastern Exorcist

Eastern Exorcist, from Wildfire Game, is a 2D action-RPG set in a 3D world and focusing on Eastern fantasy influences. You play as a warrior/exorcist as he travels through the land fighting monsters, evil spirits, and boss creatures. Your primary weapon is a sword, which you use to engage in furious combo-based attacks that become more powerful with magical enhancements. The game features lovely animations and a painterly style inspired by Chinese fine art, with cutscenes playing out in the style of a Chinese opera.

The game is coming to PC and PS4. The PC version was originally announced with an August 14 Steam Early Access release, with a PS4 version following at a later date. A playable demo is available on Steam.

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

July 23, 2020

Target Acquired: Carrion

Did you like Butcher? It was a super gory sidescrolling shooter, and now the developer behind it has returned with an even bloodier and gorier game entitled Carrion, under the label Phobia Game Studio. In this game, you control a sinewy amorphous alien creature that uses its grotesque appendages to grab a hold of people and furiously murder them, leaving behind sprays of blood in the process. Humans will do their best to stop you by using guns and other weapons... but you have the ability to pull out their spinal cords, so that's pretty fair. Rampage your way through a station killing everyone you find in a horror game where you are the monster.

The game is now available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam and GOG, Xbox One via Microsoft Store, and Switch via eShop. Check our coverage here.




July 22, 2020

New Blip: Gel-Tank

Gel-Tank (a.k.a. 軟体轟輪ゲルタンク), from Technodot, is... well, it's not entirely clear what it is, because very little about the game is in English, but it looks completely crazy so here we are. You drive around in a little tank that is capable of shooting, jumping, and even flipping upside down so it can shoot enemies below. Your tank can use a variey of shot types, including a single shot, double shot, rockets, flaming explosives, and some non-standard projectiles to blast baddies and build up combos. Defeated enemies drop gems, which may be collected and used to purchase new skills. Oh and your little tank can climb inside a bigger tank and drive it around for increased firepower. In fact, there are multiple controllable vehicles, including a motorcycle, submarine, and helicopter. The game is done up in a 16-bit arcade style and focuses on fast action with a healthy dose of silliness, giving it something of a Metal Slug feel.

The game is currently available for PC via Steam Early Access, with a final release expected in 2021.




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

July 21, 2020

Target Acquired: Panzer Paladin

Tribute Games is the studio behind Wizorb, Mercenary Kings, Curses ‘n Chaos, Flinthook, and technically Ninja Senki - all of which are chunky retro-style action games - and they're back with Panzer Paladin... a chunky retro-style action game. You take the role of the titular paladin who clunks around the world in power armor, slashing baddies with melee weapons that wear down as she deals damage. But she can collect weapons from fallen enemies and swap between them, or sacrifice them to cast spells. The pilot of the power armor is comparatively small and is able to eject and run around on her own, reaching areas that the armor cannot fit, and even doing a bit of grappling along the way. She's not all that handy in a fight, but fortunately, she can use teleportation pads to summon her armor back to her. The game offers more than a dozen levels, most of which may be played in any order, with numerous weapons to be found along the way, and special weapons earned by defeating bosses.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and Switch via eShop. Check our coverage here.




July 16, 2020

Arrival Delayed: Rogue Legacy 2

Rogue Legacy 2 was meant to arrive on Steam and Epic Store early access for PC on July 23, but this date has moved back to August 18. On the upside, the delay will result in the implementation of unspecified features and content that would not have been finished before release. Joy!

Rogue Legacy was a pretty big hit, so what do you do when that happens? You make another one! Cellar Door Games, the studio with the euphonic name, returns with Rogue Legacy 2, a game where you play as a line of descendants - each with different abilities - as they fight through a procedurally generated world. You never know what you're going to get, but you do control how you tackle the world, so you can take things slow and easy to build up your character for the current run, or go bananas and try to get as deep as you can. While each player character is lost forever when they die, you can upgrade certain stats to give your child a better chance at survival. The new game offers an enhanced visual style, a new selection of weapons, and more environmental variety... as well as metroidvania elements that let you unlock new abilities to expand your exploration.




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

Test Flight: 1 Screen Platformer Prologue

1 Screen Platformer 2, from Return to Adventure Mountain, is the follow-up to the original 1 Screen Platformer, which was a platformer that took place on one screen (as you may have guessed). While the sequel still only occupies a single screen, there's more content this time around. First of all, the screen itself is larger, with a higher resolution environment, and eight playable characters as compared to five in the original. In the first game, there were minor changes to the environment based on which character you selected, but here those changes are much more pronounced. There are also online leaderboards for those of the speedrunning persuasion. The game kicks off with Nadia Stormhammer returning to her ship after the events of the first game, only to discover that something has gone wrong. You travel between different sections of the ship using such skills as performing high jumps, sticking to the ceiling, or blasting your gun downward to keep yourself aloft while you avoid popup spike traps, lasers, turrets, and other nasty traps.

The game is coming to PC later this year, but a playable demo entitled 1 Screen Platformer: Prologue is now available on Steam, offering one level and one character.


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

July 14, 2020

Target Acquired: Neon Abyss

Neon Abyss is the latest from Veewo Games, the studio behind Super Phantom Cat. This is a roguelike run-and-gun shooter that sees you playing as a member of the Grim Squad, a group of mercenaries hired by Hades to bust into the Abyss and unleash hell upon the New Gods. Per genre conventions, you'll encounter random weapons and perks. And to keep the action high, everything is stackable and there's no limit to what you can carry... which leads to some unusual and deadly combinations. Further adding to the mayhem are eggs that you can find, which hatch to become pets that support you in battle, and the longer you can stay alive, the more they evolve.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and GOG, Switch via eShop, Xbox One via Microsoft Store, and PS4 via PSN.




July 12, 2020

News: CrossCode Console and Physical Release

In 2018, Radical Fish Games released CrossCode on Steam, and two years later the game has not only received a digital release on consoles, but a physical release as well. The game is now available on PS4 via PSN, Switch via eShop, and Xbox One via Microsoft Store, with physical copies for PC, PS4, and Switch available via publisher ININ Games' website.

CrossCode is a colorful retro-style action adventure inspired by the classics of the 16-bit generation. The game takes place in a fictional MMO of the future called CrossWorlds where players use their avatars to explore a physical location on a distant moon. The game stars Lea, a player who has become trapped in the game and lost her memory, and only by playing the game and revisiting locales can she hope to recover it and learn the mysteries of CrossWorlds. Lea is able to battle enemies using melee attacks and projectiles, and the game is filled with clever puzzles to challenge the player's spatial reasoning. Check our coverage here.




July 10, 2020

Target Acquired: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 is the follow-up to the original Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, which was an homage to Castlevania III that was created as part of the campaign for Koji “Iga” Igarashi's Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Well, Iga is back and has once again teamed up with Inti Creates (Azure Striker Gunvolt, Blaster Master Zero) to create a new game starring the demon-slaying exorcist, Zangetsu, this time with an all new set of allies. Joining him in his quest are Dominique, a spear-wielding healer; Robert, an assassin with access to guns and grenades; and Hachi, who brings the fight to baddies with a magic-powered mech suit. As before, you can choose to go it alone or add any of these folks to the roster of playable characters to fight your way through gothic creatures and gigantic bosses, now with 100% more Konami solar flares.

The game is now available for PC via Steam, PS4 via PSN, Switch via eShop, and Xbox One via Microsoft Store.




July 9, 2020

Target Acquired: Elden: Path of the Forgotten

Elden: Path of the Forgotten, from Onerat Games, is a dark action-horror game set in a medieval landscape and filled with Lovecraftian beasties and boss creatures. You can hack through these monsters using a selection of melee weapons or take down from a distance with a number of magic spells. The game features creepy chunky pixel art, lots of blood, and wordless hi-rez pixel cutscenes to further emphasize the horror tone.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and Utomik, and Switch via eShop.




Target Acquired: Primal Light

Primal Light, from Fat Gem Games, is a melee-based action platformer. The game stars a nearly naked blue creature - named Inhabit Krog - who travels through brutal lands filled with traps and monsters. You must contend with crumbling platforms over pits of spikes, pillars that crush you into a spray of bones, and sundry swinging pendula and spike traps, as well as a variety of nasty enemies that toss projectiles, swing swords, and use magic to bring you down. Along the way, you learn new movement abilities to aid you in combat and environmental navigation, and you unlock some passive abilities as well. The game takes place across 10 linear levels, done up in a 16-bit arcade style, with each ending in a challenging boss encounter.

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




July 5, 2020

Target Acquired: Inexistence Rebirth

Inexistence Rebirth, from Jonathan Brassaud is an expanded and updated version of the original Inexistence, released in 2016. The new game is built on a faster and more powerful game engine, and it offers a graphical overhaul, gameplay and level design tweaks, an interconnected world with a metroidvania map, and new post-game content. You take on the role of Hald, whose sister has been imprisoned in a stasis field by the evil Claos, so he ventures across the world to build his strength and learn new abilities so he can defeat Claos and break the spell. The game offers sword-based action supplemented with ranged magic, and lots of hidden treasure chests containing gold and equipment to help you on your quest. By defeating certain bosses, you gain access to a double jump and other abilities to help you access new areas, eventually allowing you to enter the castle and take on Claos himself.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and Itch. Check our coverage here.




July 2, 2020

New Blip: Morbid: The Seven Acolytes

Morbid: The Seven Acolytes, from Still Running, is a horror-based soulslike action-RPG featuring grotesque monsters and brutal bloody kills. You are on a mission to defeat the Seven Acolytes, individuals who have gained incredible power by allowing themselves to be possessed by malevolent deities... but these deities cannot act without bodies, so destroying the hosts will rid the world of them. But being a soulslike, death means that you begin the game from the start, with all of the acolytes reborn. You slash your way through enemies and bosses, spilling buckets of blood and looting corpses for items that will allow you to unlock perks and equipment. The game features dozens of weapons, from the melee variety to a number of different guns, allowing for a lot possibilities during combat.

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




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

July 1, 2020

New Blip: Spinch

Some games are colorful, and then some games are colorolorolorful... like dropping acid and watching Scooby Doo while mixing Fruity Pebbles with Smurfberry Crunch and listening to no-holds-barred clown wrestling. And that is Spinch, a psychedelic precision platformer from Queen Bee Games, the studio behind Onion Force. You take on the role of the eponymous Spinch who is on a mission to rescue his missing offspring, often while being chased by Spinch-eating monsters. Fortunately, Spinch is quite agile and can jump, wall jump, and dash his way through the environment, and he'll want to search out as many of his children as he can, because Spinch fights bosses using his children as ammunition, which are the kinds of antics not seen since Offspring Fling. The game features art and animations by cartoonist Jesse Jacobs, and a retro electronic soundtrack by James Kirkpatrick.

The game is coming to PC and Switch on September 3. It's worth watching the trailer to see what kind of madness you're in for.




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