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

January 31, 2022

New Blip: Bat Boy

Video game fans have long known that baseball bats can be used for much more than batting baseballs. We've grabbed them in Double Dragon and turned them against our fat-headed foes, imagined the adventures of Captain Baseball Bat Boy while murdering well-deserving ne'er-do-wells in Max Payne 2, and scrambled to the top of arcade leaderboards as the eponymous Ninja Baseball Bat Man. Now it's time to wreck shop as a platforming hero in Bat Boy, from Sonzai Games and X Plus Games. Bat Boy's teammates have been subjected to the Trials of Darkness by Lord Vicious (no relation), and Bat Boy sets out to rescue them, using his baseball bat to bash baddies, send guard-pigs tumbling into other enemies, deflect projectiles, and smash through destructible blocks in a variety of retro-styled environments. Boss battles pit Bat Boy against his brainwashed buddies in a baseball batting brouhaha.

The game is coming to PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox S/X later this year. A demo is available via Steam.

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

January 26, 2022

Target Acquired: Cogen: Sword of Rewind

Cogen: Sword of Rewind (a.k.a. COGEN:大鳥こはくと刻の剣), from Gemdrops Game Studios, is a melee action game starring Kohaku Ootori as she fights robotic enemies in Cogen City, and uncovers its mysteries. As the title suggests, Kohaku wields a sword (a talking sword to be more precise) that has the power to rewind time, allowing her to reverse time to correct mistakes or save her own life. The sword is also her primary means of dealing with enemies and obstacles, as she can smash through certain blocks, slash baddies and bosses, and deflect enemy projectiles back at them. Music for the game was composed by Motoi Sakuraba, who previously composed for several games in the Tales of series and Dark Souls series, and numerous other games, with credits going back to the late 80's.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and Xbox One and X/S via Microsoft Store, and it's arriving soon on PS4 and Switch.


January 18, 2022

Target Acquired: 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 now available for PC via Steam, and Xbox One and Xbox X/S via Microsoft Store and Game Pass.

January 11, 2022

New Blip: Elementallis

Elementallis, from Iván Ruiz Lozano, is an element-based action adventure with a top-down view, giving it strong Link to the Past vibes. You take on the role of an adventurer who has unfortunately doomed the world by causing the elements to go wild, and so you must venture across the land, solve puzzles, fight enemies, and restore the elements by completing eight dungeons. As you gain elemental abilities, new combat techniques open to you, along with new ways to explore the environment. For instance, fire can be used to clear out vegetation and burn enemies, nature allows you to grow vines to climb to new areas, and wind allows you to dash away from enemy attacks and cross gaps. You can even combine elements, such as getting your enemies wet and then electrocuting them. Of course, you can also fight enemies with your sword and shield, and smash some pots in true Zelda-like fashion.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, PS5, and unspecified Xbox platforms, but it does not yet have an announced release date.

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

January 4, 2022

New Blip: Wild Dogs

Wild Dogs is the latest from 2ndBoss, the studio behind Biolab Wars, which was an alien-blasting run-and-gunner inspired by 8-bit classics like Contra and Shatterhand. Wild Dogs is set in the same universe and takes place before the events of Biolab Wars. The game stars Frank "Pumpkinhead" Williams and his trusty companion, Freddy, the dog from the previous game who wore a mech suit. This time around, it's not all about running and shooting... vertical shmupping and stealth puppering are mixed in with the sidescrolling shooter action as the player takes control of a jet, a motorcycle, and a dog-driven mech suit. Blast alien soldiers, shoot down powerful spacecraft, and obliterate gigundus bosses.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox X/S later this year.

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