Inferno 2, from Radiangames, has been available for a while on iOS and OUYA, but it has only recently been released for PC via Steam. This is a follow-up to the studio's Inferno / Inferno+, a twin stick action-adventure with a flashy neon aesthetic. The new game offers a very similar experience, with the player upgrading his offensive and defensive capabilities while blasting away at spawners and swarms of enemies. This time around, the game has doubled in size with 80 levels, plus a New Game+ mode with a variety of additional challenges. Check our full coverage of the game here.
Brock Crocodile, from Digital Crocodile, aims to bring the flavor of 16-bit Genesis blast processing to your 64-bit computerating system. The eponymous Brock Crocodile comes armed with a whip that lets him swing around the environment, as well as a fruit gun that lets him take down enemies in order to save Crocodillian Island from a team of villains called the Fearsome Four. Brock's whip lets him swing from specified grapple points to reach new areas, activate environmental objects, and even whack enemies. The fruit gun works like a traditional pellet-chucker insofar as you can blast enemies right in the face, but presumably in a friendlier - and fruitier - way. In traditional mascot platforming fashion, players must grab coins, bop on enemies' heads, and avoid spikes as they make their way to each of the end-level bosses.
The game is headed to PC via Steam, but does not yet have an announced release date.
To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.
12 is Better Than 6 isn't exactly Hotline Miami with sombreros, but it is a top-down action game with lots of guns, huge sprays of blood, and occasional bouts of running and screaming and cursing (in Spanish) while shooting everything you see and going out in a blaze of glory. Developer Ink Stains Games presents a game that stars an escaped Mexican convict running from his pursuers in the lawless lands of 1873 North America. Backgrounds are presented in a blue and white pen-and-paper style, in stark contrast to the rampant flow of red blood that covers it when enemies are blasted in the face... or you can take a stealth approach if you choose. Players have the freedom to choose whether they want to be a good guy and help the innocent or a bad guy who robs banks and shoots on sight.
12 is Better Than 6 is planned for a late 2015 release for PC, Mac, and Linux, and a demo is available on the game's Steam page.
To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.
Developer Morgondag presents RymdResa, a procedurally-generated space adventure where solitude plays a key role. After his planet is destroyed by a huge asteroid impact, an astronaut sets out across the galaxy to track down clues that might lead the remaining survivors to a new home world. But resources are scarce, and dangers are plenty, with the ship's fuel and shields drawing from the same set of resources, and no weapons to speak of, any interaction may be your last. The first one-third of the game is a roguelike, so failing to save humanity means that you must start your journey again, although some resources do carry over into future sessions. And the longer you stay in space, the more skilled the astronaut becomes... but he is terribly lonely.
RymdResa is currently available for PC and Mac via Steam and the Humble Store, with additional releases planned for Linux, Xbox One, Wii U, and iOS. Check our coverage here.
To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.
NG:DEV.TEAM, the developers behind GunLord and NEO XYX have announced Kraut Buster. Just as GunLord was a spiritual successor to the Turrican series, Kraut Buster pays homage to all things Metal Slug. In this new game, the player can take on the role of John "Küken" Mallone or Jack "Handsome" Rowdy, or work together with a friend in 2P co-op. Gunners are able to toss grenades and blast baddies, bosses, and minibosses with 8-way directional fire as they work their way through a detailed 60fps pixel world. Where Kraut Buster changes things up is in its mask system... grabbing a mask changes your character's basic abilities and weapons. For instance, grabbing the chicken mask allows the player to slow his falling speed, the Tengu mask gives him a super high jump and lets him move more quickly, and the hockey mask replaces the player's default melee knife with a long machete. Players can also find little yellow chicks that will fly behind them offering support by laying down additional fire.
Only the most hardcore need apply here, as Kraut Buster is headed for the Neo Geo MVS and AES in 2016.
To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, from developer Asteroid Base, is an odd little 2P co-op experience that places players in a pink space station facing off against an onslaught of invaders. Players run around the inside of the station, manning various control panels to operate turrets and lasers to destroy the attacking ships, using shields to defend the station, and activating thrusters to push it away from danger, frantically dashing from one control panel to the next as the situation outside the station changes.
The game is headed to PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam, and Xbox One via XBLA on September 9.
To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.
Sigma Xcidkrd has dropped off the 2D RADAR, which is a bit of a shame given that it promised the same sort of precision platforming as Dustforce. We were only able to track down a single thread on the game, which includes a link to a playable demo, but there haven't been any updates since 2013.
Sigma Xcidkrd | PC and Mac | Release Date TBD
Developer John Bishop launches the latest volley in the battle against pronounceable titles with Sigma Xcidkrd, a highly technical platformer. John spent a lot of time creating custom maps for another technical platformer, Dustforce, and eventually decided that he’d like to make a game of his own. Like Dustforce, the game requires precision platforming, combined with double jumping, wall jumping, wall sliding, and sliding down angled surfaces, but you’ll also be dodging loads of projectiles and even using them to your advantage by riding them through the level. Spiked walls, floors, and ceilings line the environments as well, and some levels have enemies that pursue you relentlessly, requiring some well-timed pixel perfect maneuvering and deft button presses.
To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.
At long last, Feist has been released. The game was originally announced years ago by developer Bits & Beasts, drawing comparisons to the then-contemporary Limbo, with its silhouetted characters and floaty jumps. The game takes place in a large natural environment made up of forests, mountains, and dark caves. Combat is done with the use of rocks and spears, with the player and enemies knocking each other around, and occasionally being crushed by boulders and weighted traps.
Feist was just released for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam. Check our coverage here.
And now for a bit of history… In the early 1990’s a Swedish developer called Norse was working on a game called Dorke and Ymp (also known as Dorque & Imp). However, the studio was unable to find a publisher to pick up the game, and it the project was cancelled. Piko Interactive secured the incomplete source code from one of the developers and has been working to pull together all of the game’s assets into a fully functional game for release on the SNES… about 20 years late. Sadly, Jim Studt (also known as Satrio), who created the game’s story, characters, and graphics, did not live to see the completion of his project, as he passed away in April of 2014 at the age of 42. The game is a platformer starring a green fellow named Dorke and his flying devilish pal as they navigate a hellish underground environment and seek out treasure chests full of cupcakes and other treats. The imp is able to toss bouncing projectiles at enemies and use bombs to blow up obstructing walls, and he can also grab Dorke's shoulders to fly him short distances.
Dorke & Ymp was just released for the SNES and is available for purchase via the developer's online store.
Nova-111, from Funktronic Labs, is an odd mixture between real-time and turn-based strategic puzzling in which the player must rescue 111 scientists from some sort of time vortex. The game features more than 60 levels and an upgradeable ship that moves one turn at a time, as do the enemies, although certain elements move in real time. This offers up a number of unique puzzle opportunities that are a bit difficult to explain, so you should check out the trailer below… and even that requires a close examination to see how the real-time and turn-based worlds come together.
Nova-111 is coming on August 25 for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam, as well as PS4 and Vita via PSN, and it's hitting XB1 via XBLA on August 28, with a future release planned for Wii U via eShop.
The already amazing Shovel Knight is getting even better, thanks to some free DLC. Yacht Club Games has announced Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, an expansion on the original game that features Plague Knight (one of the bosses from the original game) as a playable character. This new character handles completely differently than his shovel-wielding counterpart, using bombs as his primary weapon, and he also has double jump and bomb jump, as well as numerous bomb customizations. Plague Knight can access some new areas and takes part in new story elements, as he interacts with NPC's and enemies differently than Shovel Knight. Players who have already mastered the game can try their hands at a slew of new challenge levels involving both Plague Knight and Shovel Knight.
The video below features the developers discussing the DLC for Wii U and 3DS, although the DLC is releasing for all platforms "soon".
Odallus: The Dark Call was developed by Joysmasher, which also developed Oniken, our 2012 Game of the Year. The game is a level-based metroidvania inspired by the Castlevania and Ghosts ’n Goblins series, as well as Demon’s Crest. The game is packed with retro visuals and gameplay, with numerous powerups that allow the player to slowly expand his explorations across a dark world filled with evil. Just like Oniken, the game tough, with aggressive enemies, challenging environments, and no shortage of boss creatures. Players are equipped with a short-range sword and they can and also make use of three different sub-weapons to take down enemies from a distance.
The game is now available via Steam. Check our full coverage here.
Eitr, under development by Eneme Entertainment, is an isometric action-RPG offering detailed sprite work and animations. The player takes on the role of the Shield Maiden of Norse mythology as she travels the nine worlds that are linked together by Yggdrasil, the great tree that connects them all. It seems that Loki has poisoned Yggdrasil with the Eitr, a dark substance that has spread through the tree and corrupted the nine realms. The maiden must make use of swords, bows and arrows, and shields to fight her way through monstrous creatures, including the loping undead, giant warriors, evil sorcerers, and great godlike beings. Combat is fast and technical, requiring players to dodge, dash, and block, and time their strikes to align with openings in her enemies' defenses.
The game is coming to PS4 and PC, with plans to release the game on Mac and Linux in the future. There is currently no official release date.
To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.
Temple of Yog, from CHUDCHUD Industries (that's a double-CHUD), is a roguelike action-adventure exclusive to the Wii U. The player moves between two procedurally generated worlds: the world of light takes place on the television screen while the world of darkness is on the Wii U game pad. These two worlds are similar but different, and moving between them allows the player to take advantage of what each has to offer, such different enemy types, and doorways that appear in one world but not the other. The game offers twin stick controls as the player hurls fireballs in all directions and runs from his inevitable permadeath... but the player's noble sacrifice actually helps him to progress, as sacrifices are needed to help the player's village to advance technologically. There are multiple character classes that are assigned randomly at the start of each run, each with their own abilities.
The game is coming exclusively to Wii U later this year.
To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.
Developer Tomasz Wacławek describes Ronin (site) as a turn-based action platformer, which seems like a contradiction in terms… But players are able to sneak around in real-time to get the drop on their opponents, and plan out a turn-based series of attacks to work toward a killing blow. The game stars a masked heroine who is seeking revenge against several members of a corporation. She must employ stealth and plan out her moves in order to sneak up on her opponents across 15 levels and deliver swift vengeance. The game looks strongly reminiscent of Gunpoint in its presentation and stealth-based navigation, but with less switch-flippery and more ninja-swordery.
Ronin was just released for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam. Check our full coverage here.
Enter the Gungeon is under development by Dodge Roll Games, developers of last year's Fork Parker's Holiday Profit Hike. Their latest project is a top-down action RPG centering around an ancient artifact... a gun that can KILL THE PAST! (Leastwise, that's what the trailer claims.) In practice, this is a dungeon crawler where a bunch of guys take over-the-top weapons (lasers, cannons, rainbows, etc.) into enemy-packed environments and blast the pixels right off their cute pudgy faces. Players murderfy their way through the ever-changing Gungeon, taking down enemies and bosses, dodge rolling (of course), and grabbing loot to buy more powerful gear.
The game is headed for PS4 via PSN, as well as PC, Mac, and Linux via Steamin 2016.
To find more promising 2D games currently under development, be sure to check out our Master List.
