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 30, 2016

Arrival Delayed: Slain

Slain (originally known as The 7 Towers), from developer Wolf Brew Games, has seen a bit of a delay. At one time, the game was aiming for a March 2015 release, which was pushed back to Fall, and then to January 2016. But the new date looks ever more solid with a very specific March 24, 2016 announced for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam, with console versions following sometime around May or June on Xbox One, PS4, Vita, and Wii U... so you won't have to wait much longer to get your brutal heavy metal slashing on.

Slain is an atmospheric action game following a sword-wielding hero hacking his way through hordes of enemies that would be right at home in a Castlevania title, including the undead, wolves, skeletons, ghosts, beholders, hellhounds, and other twisted creatures. Blood is everywhere… spread around the environment, gushing from enemies, and spewing violently from the long-haired swordsman when he gets smashed in a trap or dismembered by an enemy. Players must hack their way through a number of gothic platforming locales.



January 28, 2016

New Blip: Space Dave

Do you remember the faux arcade game Woah Dave? Well, MiniVisions/Choice Provisions has a spiritual successor in the form of Space Dave, which is a modern take on starfield shmups like Space Invaders and Galaga, as well as defense-based shooters like Missile Command. Dave, the hero from the first game, runs back and forth along the bottom of the screen, shooting upward at formations of alien invaders. Dave is affected by gravity, so he can't get much verticality, but he can jump and use a jetpack to hover for a while, which he needs in order to hop over ground-based obstacles as the earth below him is destroyed. He can also toss out a trap that sucks aliens down and forces them to fight alongside him, turning the aliens against one another and granting him a wide spray of bullets.

The game is headed to PC and Mac via Steam, Wii U and 3DS via the eShop, and PS4 and Vita via PSN, and possibly additional platforms in 2016.




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

January 26, 2016

New Blip: Shakedown Hawaii

So, Brian Provinciano, the main dude behind Vblank Entertainment has basically spent the last 10+ years of his life working on Retro City Rampage and its progenitor, Grand Theftendo. But now he's back with something new: Shakedown Hawaii. It's another open world top-down action game, but this time themed after the 16-bit generation instead of the NES era, and features a substantially larger world map.

The game takes place 30 years after the events of the original game and is set in Hawaii (as you may have guessed from the title), thus offering a more colorful tropical locale. The game once again stars "The Player" from the original game as he comes out of retirement to rebuild his empire by attending meetings, coming up with crazy ideas to defeat the competition, and of course, shooting the hell out of everything. Maximum destruction is in store with machine guns, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, and an array of driveable vehicles for running down pedestrians and fleeing the Five-O (see what we did there?).

The game is coming to PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam, PS4 and Vita via PSN, and unannounced Nintendo platforms, but it does not yet have an official release date.




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

January 21, 2016

New Blip: Blacksea Odyssey

Blacksea Odyssey, from Percy Legendre IV, Sean Wellington Pinnock, and Peter Milko (game site), features twin-stick shmuppery through a procedurally generated universe. The player begins the game with a single playable character, but unlocks three others as he hunts for the legendary Titanfish. In addition to the standard bullet sprays, players have access to hunting spears, as well as a harpoon which can be used to pull pieces off of enemies in order to disable them. Enemies are procedurally generated as well and will change as the player gets further into the game, growing larger, or gaining the ability to shoot fireballs or leave behind trails of ice that cause damage and slow you down.

The game is headed to PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam, PS4 via PSN, and Xbox One via XBLA in Q2 2016. An alpha demo is available on the game's official website, and the game is planned for Steam Early Access in February 2016.




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

January 19, 2016

New Blip: Tower 57

Tower 57 is a colorful isometric top-down shooter from Germann developer Marco Pappalardo, a.k.a. Benitosub. The game is set in an 1920's art deco style cyberpunk world where people live in huge towers above a radioactive wasteland and are constantly at war with another. You discover that Tower 57 is planning an invasion, and you set out to put a stop to it, along with a friend if you like, in 2P offline co-op. Players have access to a wide range of weaponry, including Tommy guns, shotguns, lasers, electricity beams, rocket launchers, and flamethrowers as they take on robots, turrets, and even the occasional dinosaur (and maybe even ride one!). The wasteland is dangerous, and it's even possible to lose a limb during a fight, although there are terminals selling replacement prosthetics... but losing both arms leaves you unable to hold a weapon.

After completing a successful Kickstarter campaign, the game is headed to PC, Mac, and Linux in March.




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

January 15, 2016

New Blip: Intergalactic Race Warriors

As a site dedicated exclusively to 2D video games, we don't see many (or any) entries in the vehicular combat genre. Developer Turtle Blaze is here to turn your head with its stylish 2D sidescrolling car combat game, Intergalactic Race Warriors. Gameplay looks like a 16-bit demake of Redline or some Mad Max film with cars burning up the road - or at least the offroad - with speed lines, shaking chassis, and debris flying everywhere. Players blast away at other cars with machine guns and rockets, while boosting, jumping, and flying off of steep slopes... and hopefully landing wheels-down. Races take place across multiple planets, and players can customize and upgrade their vehicles to make them best suited to their environment.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam in Q3 2016. Be sure to check out this completely nutso trailer:




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

January 12, 2016

New Blip: Angry Video Game Nerd 2: ASSimilation

Internet sensation James Rolfe, a.k.a. the Angry Video Game Nerd, is known for his insulting take on old video games, and in 2013, he received his own retro-style video game entitled Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures, developed by FreakZone Games. The game starred The Nerd (and some friends from the show), armed with an NES Zapper in a platforming world filled with references to classic games and show episodes, punctuated by adult humor and quips from the foul-mouthed protagonist. And now The Nerd returns in Angry Video Game Nerd II: ASSimilation in a new game where he is on a quest to save the world. The shooty plaforming is accompanied by new wall slide and wall jump abilities as well as underwater levels.

The game is coming to PC in Q1 2016.




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

January 10, 2016

Target Acquired: Dragon's Wake

Dragon's Wake, from developer Brainbox Software (game site) is the tale of a young dragon who enters the world only to find his mother killed and dragonkind on the brink of extinction. Escaping from a powerful knight, the dragon makes his way into a peaceful village and does his best to protect the villagers from invading goblins. On his journey, the young dragon learns to fly and to breathe fire, and eventually grows physically larger and more powerful... but will it be enough to save the lives of his new companions? The consequences for failure are dire, and players can impact the game's ending through the actions they take.

The game is now available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam. Check our full coverage here.



January 9, 2016

New Blip: Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

It has been more than 20 years since the last Wonder Boy game was released, but the spirit of the game lives on in Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. The game is being created by mobile developers FDG Entertainment and Game Atelier in partnership with Wonder Boy series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa. Monster Boy is able to transform into five different animals, each with their own abilities, allowing him to traverse the world, access new paths, and fight his way through baddies and bosses. The new game is getting the HD treatment with colorful high quality sprites reminiscent of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (also featuring gameplay-altering animal transformations). Check out some of the animals and gameplay in the super upbeat trailer below:

The game is planned for a Q1 2016 release on PC via Steam, PS4 via PSN, and Xbox One via XBLA.




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

January 7, 2016

New Blip: Vagante

Vagante, from developer Nuke Nine, is a sidescrolling action-RPG with roguelike elements, including procedurally generated levels and permadeath. Players enter a monster-filled cavern in order to seek a great treasure rumored to lie within. The game offers four character classes, including a fighter, rogue, and mage, as well as unlockable customizations and the ability to team up for offline 4P co-op. Players can run, jump, swim, avoid traps, fight loads of monsters and huge bosses, and even use a grappling hook to swing around.

The game is headed to PC, Mac, and Linux, and is currently available via Steam Early Access. A demo is available on the game's official website.




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

January 5, 2016

News: A Boy and His Blob is Coming to More Platforms

In 2009, WayForward released an update to the 1989 NES cult classic, A Boy and His Blob: Trouble in Blobolonia. At the time of the game's release, it was a Wii-exclusive title, released under the title A Boy and His Blob.

And in a bit of a surprise announcement, publisher Majesco Entertainment said today that the game will be released on Xbox One, PS4, Vita, and PC on January 19... as in two weeks from now. The XBLA listing is already up, but it hasn't shown up yet on the PSN marketplace. The PC version will be available via Steam and GOG (not yet listed).

Here's the official announcement trailer:



January 3, 2016

New Blip: Cryptark

Cryptark is the latest game from AlienTrap Games, the developers behind Apotheon and Capsized. The player commands a small armed vessel which he uses to infiltrate a number of heavily defended procedurally-generated alien spacecraft called "arks". The arks' defenses come in the form of sentries, drone spawners, and robotic ships, all of which the player must destroy or bypass in order to reach the core and destroy it. The rewards the player receives can be used to upgrade his ship's arsenal to take on new targets of ever-increasing power.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, and Linux and is currently available via Steam Early Access.




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

January 1, 2016

Target Acquired: The Curse of Issyos

The Curse of Issyos, from Locomalito (developer of Maldita Castilla and Hydorah), stars a fisherman named Defkalion who is called upon by the goddess Athena to rescue the island of Issyos from the curse of Olympus. The fisherman and former soldier returns to the island, fearing for the life of his daughter, and he must fight his way through a number of Harryhausen-inspired creatures, as well as some of the greatest creatures of Greek myth, including Polyhemus, Medusa, Scylla, and Cerberus.

Players begin the game with a sword, but can find a longer-range spear, a bow and arrows, and a set of armor to aid them in their quest, along with some hidden treasures from Athena. The game is short, but the difficulty ramps up steadily, and players have a limited number of lives and continues with which to beat the game, requiring that they make a successful run from start to finish. In addition, seeking out hidden keys opens up a secret area, the completion of which leads to a new weapon and an alternate ending.

The game is available for PC, and like all of Locomalito's games, it was released for free via the game's official website. The website also includes a nice PDF instruction manual. For more details, check our full coverage here.