Target Acquired: Haunted Lands: Burial Grounds

Haunted Lands: Burial Grounds, from Alexey Goryachev, is a DOS-style shooter reminiscent of Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion. You select one of four characters as you blast your way through cultists and monstrous creatures, leaving blood and viscera in your wake. Each character has a different set of weapons and abilities, with the hunters using guns, the mage using electricity, and the beast ripping baddies apart with her claws. You explore a large environment with branching paths, traps, and treasures, and you can equip a number of buffs back at your home base to give you an advantage in combat... which you'll need, because this game is tough. Enemies are overwhelming in strength and number, bosses are powerful, and checkpoints are infrequent, requiring you to make the most of every tool available, and hold onto your special attacks for just the right moment.

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

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Target Acquired: Boneraiser Minions

Boneraiser Minions is the latest in a long line of chunky neo-retro actioners from Caiysware, the studio behind Spirits Abyss, Skelly Selest, and Straimium Immortaly. This is a wave-based auto-battling roguelike where you take on the role of a boneraiser who must (literally) raise an army of the undead to fight against the do-gooder heroes... and then use their bodies and souls to increase your power even further. But it's not all just minion management; you'll need to actively evade enemy attacks and collect the bones of your victims to unlock upgrades. Make use of big smashy skellies, bomb-tossers, and magicians to keep the king's crusaders from ravaging your crypt... but the tougher your enemy, the greater your army can become! And per this developer's tradition, there's a Clashful Cards collectible card game in there too.

The game is now available for PC via Steam

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New Blip: Fallen Tear: The Ascension

Fallen Tear: The Ascension, from Winter Crew (game tweets), is an action adventure set in the magical but troubled land of Raoah. You take on the role if Hira, a boy looking to uncover the mysteries of his past in a journey that pits him against monsters, villains, and eventually the world's corrupt gods. As you grow your bonds with newfound friends and make decisions about your path forward, you gain new abilities that help you further explore the interconnected world and learn how to restore peace and balance. You can also expand your combat abilities to make yourself a more effective fighter... and take advantage of the beast within. The game features lovely hand-drawn animations and backgrounds across numerous environments.

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.

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Target Acquired: Elderand

Elderand, from Mantra and Sinergia Games (game tweets), is a metroidvania set in a dark world inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The game features fast technical combat that requires skillful use of your weaponry, and where button mashing is a sure path to failure. You fight your way through terrible monstrosities as you trek across the world searching for treasures, solving ancient mysteries, and seeking out hidden passages. Skillful explorers will find money and items that can be traded to shopkeepers for better weapons and shields, and some may be found through exploration as well. Players may make use of swords, shields, whips, staffs, throwing axes, and bows and arrows, and they may equip armor and accessories and make use of health restoratives to aid them in their quest.

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

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Target Acquired: Planet Cube: Edge

Planet Cube: Edge, from Sunna Entertainment, is a run and gun platformer that takes place on a cube-shaped planet (called Planet Cube). You take on the role of a similarly cube-shaped engineer named Edge who uses a prototype photon blaster to fight his way through a subaquatic weapons lab to thwart a planetary invasion. Speed an agility are key as you take on room after room filled with dangerous foes, many of whom fire projectiles of their own. To aid in your mission of shooty-scooty-shooty, you can perform air dashes and butt stomps, allowing you to avoid enemy fire while delivering the hurt in multiple directions. And the fact that you're in an underwater facility means you'll need to do a bit of swimming through flooded areas when the walls are breached. The game offers a GameBoy-style color palette with very un-GameBoy-like crisp environments and smooth animations.

The game is now available for PC and Mac via Steam, Switch via eShop, PS4 and PS5 via PSN, and Xbox One and X/S via Microsoft Store.

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New Blip: Fading Afternoon

Fading Afternoon is the latest gritty dramatic actioner from yeo, the developer behind Arrest of a Stone Buddha and The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa. In this beat 'em up, you take on the role of Seiji "Gozuki" Maruyama, an aging yakuza who hits the streets after a long stint behind bars. With so much of his life behind him, he searches for meaning while getting up to his neck in his old violent ways... beating the hell out of guys in the streets and sometimes just pulling out his gun and snuffing them out for good. The game features a more robust set of moves and animations than the 8-bit Kunio-kun games you grew up with, and no shortage of visceral and bloody combat. You explore an open world, take part in some minigames, and hopefully survive to see one of the multiple endings.

The game is coming to PC and Switch later this year.

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

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New Blip: Last Moon

Last Moon is an isometric action-adventure from Sköll Studio, the developer behind Koloro. You take on the role of a Lunar Knight who must defeat an evil sorcerer who has cursed the moon and unleashed dark creatures across the land. Now a blood red moon hangs cracked and crumbling in the sky, and you must find a way to save it, along with the people in the kingdom below. The game features environmental puzzle solving and hack-and-slash combat as you cut your way through corrupted beasts, forge new weapons, level up your abilities, and equip ancient runes. You face dozens of enemy types across daytime and nighttime, with secrets to be found at different times of day... but also more dangers lurking in the night.

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

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New Blip: Ravva and the Phantom Library

Ravva and the Cyclops Curse was a nice little action-platformer where you made your way through the levels by summoning four creatures, each with different abilities. Developer Galope Studios follows that up with Ravva and the Phantom Library, once again starring the owl summoner named Ravva, as they attempt to escape from the eponymous Phantom Library. The library is filled with magical books that contain entire worlds filled with monsters... which may be entered in any order. By summoning each of your four companions, you can freeze and destroy objects, toss sharp blades, create explosions, and reveal hidden pathways, allowing you to navigate the realms held within these treacherous books, and defeat the ruler of each.

The game is coming to PC and Linux, 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.

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New Blip: KOTOMASHO: I Can't Believe This NEET Guy Turned Into a Magical Girl!

WalGallen presents KOTOMASHO: I Can't Believe This NEET Guy Turned Into a Magical Girl!... or just KOTOMASHO if you don't have enhanced lung capacity. The game stars a slacker guy named Genji who - as you might expect from the title - gets transformed into a magical girl. Gone are the days of lounging around in his apartment playing VR games, as he takes on the persona of Miyu and embarks on a quest to rescue her sisters and save the world from nightmares. Miyu is joined by her new feline companion named Yumeko as she explores the overworld, overcomes handcrafted and procedurally-generated dungeons, solves puzzles, fights enemies, and gains new magical abilities. This is a GBC-style anime-influenced action adventure along the lines of The Legend Of Zelda Link's Awakening, but with a full-on RPG levelling system in lieu of hunting for heart pieces.

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

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

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Target Acquired: UnderDungeon

UnderDungeon is the latest from Josyan, which features some of the developers behind Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX. You take on the role of a plucky slacker named Kimuto, who just started working as a delivery driver for the town of town of Kutopia. Unfortunately, the area has been overrun by monsters, so making deliveries can be a bit challenging, but Kimuto has a magic sword to defend himself... and he gains plenty of new weapons and items on his adventure. The game takes inspirations from The Legend of Zelda with its linked room dungeons, and Minit with its 1-bit visuals. You fight your way through enemies and bosses, engage in some silly NPC interactions (including with the Grim Reaper!), discover hidden rooms, and even play a few minigames along the way.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and Itch, Switch via eShop, and Xbox One and X/S via Microsoft Store. Check our coverage here.

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New Blip: Risk of Rain Returns

Risk of Rain returns in... Risk of Rain Returns, a remaster of the original roguelike actioner from Hopoo Games. You take on the role of a survivor from a crashed cargo ship who must fight their way through an increasingly hostile environment. The original game featured a single character at the start, with additional playable survivors available to unlock, and the remastered version features brand new survivors for the updated adventure, along with 4P online and offline co-op... in case want to bring some pals along for the massacre. Collect items, weapons, and buffs to steadily increase your power as you face enemies from every direction that become more powerful as time clicks by, and then you still have to take down some menacing boss monsters. Fans of the 3D sequel will notice some content from Risk of Rain 2, and fans of the original 2D outing will notice upgraded art, new sound effects, and new music tracks.

The game is coming to PC and Switch later this year.

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

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Target Acquired: Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is the latest retro-style actioner from the crew at Joymasher, the studio with a decade-long pedigree of retro-inspired hits including Oniken, Odallus: The Dark Call, and Bazing Chrome. In the future, people have fallen victim to a dictatorial rule, oppressed by an army of unstoppable super soldiers... but one such soldier defies its creators and becomes humanity's last hope. You take on the role of this Moonrider as it makes use of enhanced ninja movement, weapons, and combat abilities to break the bonds of totalitarian rule. Inspired by the classics of the 16-bit era, the game features fast combat, chunky visuals, over-the-top boss encounters, and a guitar-heavy soundtrack.

The game is now available for PC via Steam, Switch via eShop, and PS4 and PS5 via PSN. Check our coverage here.

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New Blip: Earthblade

Earthblade is the latest from Extremely OK Games, the studio behind TowerFall and a little precision platformer you may have heard of called Celeste. So what do you do after creating one of the decade's most lauded indie gems? You go on to create an open world actioner set on Earth. But Earth has changed a bit from what you may remember from... well, earlier today. The planet has fallen to ruin and is now filled with poisoned water and rampaging beasts. You take on the role of Névoa, a child of Fate who explores the planet - and combats its monsters - in hopes of learning what happened to the world she once called home. Perform platforming feats, explore vast environments, slash enemies with your trusty blade, and speak with Earth's remaining inhabitants to reveal the planet's hidden past.

The game is headed to PC, but you've got a while to wait, since it isn't slated for release until 2024.

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

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