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

February 24, 2022

New Blip: The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest

If you enjoyed the Castlevania games on the NES... well, then you should go play some Castlevania games on the NES... but if you're looking for a lighthearted-but-tough parody of the Castlevania series, then you should play The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest, from Programancer. The game's protagonist is none other than Simon Quest, a play on the title Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and the hero of that game, Simon Belmont. But Simon Quest is no hero. In fact, he's a glory hound who only cares about making a name for himself. After discovering that his rival, Stan Helsing, has defeated Dracula, Simon sets out across Wallachia on a mission to collect Dracula's body parts to resurrect him for the sole purpose of destroying the legendary vampire himself. Players travel through gothic environments, whip their way through creatures of the night, take on giant bosses, swing from grapple points, and toss a variety of subweapons that are replenished by collecting hearts. But this isn't a simple rehash of the aged Castlevania formula; it's an entirely new adventure, with surprises to be found along the way, some new gameplay mechanics, an interconnected world, and much improved visuals when compared to the classic NES series.

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

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

February 23, 2022

New Blip: Souldiers

Souldiers, from Retro Forge Games, is a retro-style action-adventure set in a colorful fantasy world. You play as one of a trio of characters who suddenly find themselves transported from a battlefield in their own world to a place called Terragaya. Terragaya is a land that seems to sit at the border of the afterlife, offering a chance for these warriors to revive their fallen comrades. Each of the three playable characters has different abilities, with an archer who can strike quickly from a distance, a scout who attacks with a sword, and a caster who uses magic to strike enemies at close and medium range. Players explore a large interconnected world populated by a variety of detailed enemies and boss creatures while platforming, solving environmental puzzles, searching for artifacts, and upgrading their abilities along an expansive skill tree to increase their effectiveness in combat.

The game is coming to PC and Switch this spring. A demo is available on Steam.

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

February 21, 2022

New Blip: Final Vendetta

Bitmap Bureau, the developers behind Xeno Crisis, have returned with Final Vendetta, a beat 'em up done up in the style of 90's-era arcade games like Capcom's Final Fight and Konami's... well, Vendetta, starring a cast of colorful characters and 1P or 2P co-op action. Per genre conventions, you team up with some martial arts dudes and set off to rescue your kidnapped sister from a street gang the only way you know how... by beating the holy ass out of every human being who crosses your path and eating hearty snacks off the ground. You've got your choice of three playable characters: the acrobatic Claire, the bare-knuckle boxer Duke, or the mullet-coiffed wrestler Miller. In addition to six areas of belt-scrolling arcade action, the game offers versus, survival, and boss rush modes, plus an intense soundtrack and smoother-than-the-90's animations.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox this May.

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

February 14, 2022

Target Acquired: Infernax

Berzerk Studio wants to take you back to the 80's with Infernax, a retro metroidvania with horrific enemies that are far more gruesome than anything that would have actually been released on the NES. Players must trek across an open world, fighting monsters, gaining experience points to increase their stats, and acquiring new weapons, spells, and abilities. Players also earn money that they can use to buy better armor, as well as health and magic restoratives.

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




February 13, 2022

Proximity Alert: Salt and Sacrifice

Salt and Sacrifice is the follow-up to Salt and Sanctuary, a soulslike developed by Ska Studios, which has been cranking out indie hits for more than a decade, starting during the era of Xbox Live Arcade and Xbox Live Indie Games with such titles as Charlie Murder, The Dishwasher duology, and yes, even I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1NIT!!!1. The game is being developed in cooperation with Devoured Studios. In Salt and Sacrifice, you take on the role of a Marked Inquisitor who is tasked with hunting down the world's mages and putting them to the sword... or a variety of other weapons that you can forge by way of an extensive crafting system, and you literally create and modify weapons using the body parts of the mages you kill. Per genre standards, enemies are tough, and bosses are tougher, so you'll have to polish your skills if you hope to live for more than a few minutes in this harsh and unforgiving world, but you can bring in some help via local or online 2P co-op.

The game is coming to PC, PS4, and PS5 on May 10.

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

February 10, 2022

Target Acquired: Grapple Dog

Grapple Dog, from Joseph Gribbin, is a high-flying grapple-platformer starring a dog named Pablo who sets sail across six environments to save the world from Nul, a megalomaniacal robot. The game uses bold colors to communicate safe grapple points to the player, allowing him to flow from one object to the next as he collects fruit, dodges obstacles, and hunts for hidden areas. The grapple can be used to zip to objects and enemies to smash them, and the player must face off against bosses as well. In addition to grappling, the player can swim, perform wall jumps, and dive bomb to drop downward quickly.

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

February 8, 2022

New Blip: Sondro Gomez: A Sunova Story

Sondro Gomez: A Sunova Story, from Cellar Chateaux and Headcannon (developer of Sonic Mania), is an action-platformer centering around Sondro Gomez and his aspirations to become a musician in the land of Sunova. In struggling toward his big break, he has gotten in deep with a fellow known simply as Masked Man, and to get out of debt, he must find a series of wish-granting orbs that have fallen from the sky. He uses his guitar strings to create a whip-style tool that lets him attack enemies, swing from grapple points, and solve puzzles, which he uses to aid him on his quest. Along the way, he encounters items that grant him new abilities, including a feather that allows him to double jump and slow his descent, claws that allow him to wall jump, and a boot that lets him stomp the ground to defeat enemies and break blocks.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, and Linux on January 2, 2023. A demo is available on Steam.

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

February 2, 2022

New Blip: Mina the Hollower

Yacht Club Games, the studio behind the much-lauded Shovel Knight, returns with Mina the Hollower, a top-down actioner presented in the aesthetic style of the Game Boy Color... but with a widescreen presentation and 60fps gameplay. You take on the role of Mina, inventor of a device called the Spark Generator, which has ushered in a golden age for the people of Tenebrous Isle (electricity probably is a big deal to people living on an island literally named after darkness). Mina journeys to the island to investigate what has been happening to the spark generators, and she brings along her trusty whip - called Nightstar - in case she needs to go all Belmont on some creatures of the night. She also gains access to several throwable subweapons, and she can level up to increase her skillset. In addition to her skills as an inventor and whip-wielder, Mina is also a Hollower, which means that she can burrow underground to move more quickly, allowing her to discover treasures and gain the upper hand in combat.

The game is coming to PC and consoles with an estimated completion date of December 2023.

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

February 1, 2022

New Blip: Master Key

While technology marches forward and triple-A game developers give life to the most realistic visuals ever conceived, games with simple 1-bit graphics are on the rise among indie developers, with recent examples including Minit and Gato Roboto, which stand as veritable as testaments to the gameplay-over-graphics ideology of retro game fans. Master Key, from Achromi joins this exclusive club with a Zelda-like adventure set in an open world and offering item-based progression. After discovering a rusty key in a cave, you set out to explore a mysterious world filled with secrets and puzzles. Slash your way through enemies and hedges, discover hidden treasures, purchase useful items from shops, and even take part in some hookshot action.

The game is coming to PC but 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.