Target Acquired: Mutants from the Deep

Mutants from the Deep is the latest from Locomalito, developer of Maldita Castilla, Super Hydorah, The Curse of Issyos, and numerous other titles. Mutants from the Deep is an underwater shooter offering two playable characters with differing stats, one of whom is a human investigating sabotage to a pipeline, and the other is a mermaid whose home has come under attack from an unknown enemy. The story is different depending on which character you select, with their narratives intertwining for a single ending after seven levels. You are able to fire your harpoon in eight directions, and there are three other weapons to pick up, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Fight your way through various sea creatures and bosses, and purchase upgrades between levels to increase your firepower, speed, health, or air capacity. The game is done in the style of the MSX with a limited color palette and choppy scrolling, and it carries an old-school difficulty... you must shoot accurately to avoid becoming overwhelmed, and if you get killed or run out of air, it's back to the start of the game with you.

The game is now available on MSX (via MSX emulation) or PC on Locomalito's website, which also includes some other niceties like a PDF manual, poster, and DVD/case art. The game is available as freeware.

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New Blip: Nobody Saves the World

DrinkBox Studios, the team behind Guacamelee and Guacamelee 2, has returned with Nobody Saves the World, a colorful action RPG that's lighter on the luchadores but still heavy on the colorful environments and zany characters. You take on the role of Nobody... that's right the character's name is Nobody, and he's the one who is tasked with fighting back The Calamity and saving the world. By completing quests, Nobody is able to unlock new forms, with more than 15 transformations to discover, including a strongman, zombie, ghost, archer, magician, mouse, and slug (!). Each form offers unique abilities that help you destroy monsters, solve puzzles, complete quests, and clear out procedurally-generated dungeons. You are able to upgrade forms by completing quests, and eventually mix and match abilities between forms.

The game is coming to PC, Xbox One, and Xbox X/S "soon-ish".

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

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Target Acquired: Heidelberg 1693

Heidelberg 1693 is the latest actioner from Andrade Games, the studio behind 1917 - The Alien Invasion and SturmFront - The Mutant War. The studio is known for its gritty art style and throwback arcade action. The game is set in Heidelberg, Germany in 1693 (as you may have guessed) during the War of the Grand Alliance, in which the French captured and nearly destroyed the town of Heidelberg... but things take a turn from historical events as the French turn to forbidden science to resurrect the dead. You take on the role of a musketeer who uses his rapier and musket - with appropriately long reload times - to fight off an army of monstrous creatures and fiendish versions of historical figures. Gunpowder is limited and the undead are tough to kill, so you must use your shots wisely, and even lure enemies to kill each other with friendly fire.

The game is now available for PC via Steam.

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New Blip: Jitsu Squad

Jitsu Squad, from Tanuki Creative Studio, is a high-octane brawler with colorful charismatic characters and up to 4P co-op. Players take on the role of one of four anthropomorphized animals, each of whom is an expert in a different style of martial arts. The rooster combed raccoon is a shinobi on a mission to get revenge for his father's death, the bunny is a cyber ninja who is also on a mission of revenge following the murder of her twin sister, the afro-sporting frog is a master of kung-fu and fights using a Goemon-style pipe along with magical attacks, and the boar is the beefy (porky?) one of the bunch in his role as dragon slayer, and he carries a sword and has a magical metal arm. The game allows for all of the fast-paced brawler shenanigans you love, with the ability to perform huge combos, unleash over-the-top special attacks, call in assist characters (including Yooka-Laylee), juggle enemies, and perform transformations. You fight your way through vibrant environments and colorful enemies that take the form of other animal creatures, zombies, martial artists, and some big bad bosses.

The game is coming to PC and consoles but does not yet have an official release date. A demo is available on Itch.

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

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New Blip: Grid Force - Mask Of The Goddess

Developer Playtra Games is partnering with an LGTBQ+ non-profit organization called the It Gets Better Project, which supports LGBTQ+ youth around the world. The studio is developing Grid Force - Mask Of The Goddess, offering an all-female cast with LGBTQ+ representation and diverse cultural backgrounds for its 45 playable characters. Your goal is to befriend companions to assist you in battle, developing their skills and unlocking new abilities along the way, as well as acquiring powerful masks from defeated goddesses. Combat takes place on a grid, Mega Man Battle Network-style, with the player on the left side of the arena and the enemy on the right. Your decisions impact the narrative as well, as it is up to you whether to spare or kill the goddesses you fight, and many characters you encounter have difficulties that you must help them overcome. All the while, you are attempting to save the world from an endless loop of collapse and reboot.

The game is planned for a release on PC and consoles in Winter of 2022.

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

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News: La-Mulana 2 DLC

Playism has announced a DLC pack for Nigoro's cult favorite metroidvania La-Mulana 2. This new adventure is entitled Tower of Oannes and sees players travelling back to the ruins of Eg-Lana to explore a new area that comes in the form of the eponymous tower. As it turns out, a tribe of people long thought to be extinct is actually still around, and they've unleashed a powerful evil. The DLC takes what is already a difficult experience and bumps it up to give hardcore players an even greater challenge to overcome, from platforming to combat to puzzle solving.

The Tower of Oannes DLC releases later this year.

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New Blip: Moons of Darsalon

Moons of Darsalon is a retro-style rescue-based actioner from Dr. Kucho! Games that is set in the same universe - and in some of the same environments - as their previous release, Pilots of Darsalon. However, instead of piloting a spaceship down into caverns, you play as a "darsanaut" who must rescue lost miners. You have a laser gun for blasting enemies, a jet pack for environmental traversal, and a pair of tools that allow you to destroy or create terrain. You'll need to give the miners some direction to help them get back to safety, so you can issue commands to make them follow you, wait, or head in a specific direction. In addition to the on-foot action, you pilot some vehicles, such as a flying personnel carrier and a 6-wheel all-terrain transport truck. You must blast enemy aliens, spaceships, and vehicles while dodging projectiles and watching that you don't fall to your death in one of the many chasms. There are some modern lighting effects and a physics engine that impacts how characters, vehicles, and liquids interact with the environment, but the game leans hard into its gritty 8-bit computer aesthetic with retro-style filters, music, and speech synthesis.

The game is coming to PC and Mac this December.

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

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