Proximity Alert: Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir

Remember Odin Sphere? It was that game that came out during the PS2 era - along with GrimGrimoire - that showed the world that it was still OK to make 2D video games... because the effects of Symphony of the Night had worn out, apparently. Since then, Vanillaware has continued ignoring the 3D trend by putting out games like Muramasa and Dragon's Crown, and now they're revisiting Odin Sphere with Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir. The game is an HD remaster of the original game, featuring more detailed visuals, newly-recorded audio, a smoother framerate, and some tweaks to the control system, along with improved combat... although a classic mode will preserve most of the qualities of the original game. Several new modes will be included in the game's release, including a boss rush, New Game+, and a harder difficulty setting called Hell, and the game also features an entirely new dungeon.

Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir is coming to PS3, PS4, and Vita on June 7 in both physical and digital forms.




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

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Target Acquired: Moon Hunters

Kitfox Games presents Moon Hunters, an action-RPG that moves between fast-paced combat and slow-paced NPC interactions. Your adventures will push you into the boundaries of the known world to discover new territory and new landmarks in a randomly-generated environment. Your actions in the world and interactions with NPC’s will determine how you are remembered, and your character’s legend carries over from one play session to the next. Sessions are designed to last less than an hour, but repeated play reveals more about the game world and allows the player to establish himself within the various tribes’ belief systems and mythologies. Character classes include melee- and magic-based fighters with upgradeable stats, or a mixture of both as the game supports 4P co-op.

Moon Hunters is now available for PC via Steam, GOG, and Itch.io, with Mac and Linux versions due later, and ports planned for PS4 and Vita. Check our full coverage here.

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Target Acquired: Ecotone

Developer Sundae Factory presents Ecotone (site), a platformer that begins each level with a sentence, which offers a clue to what you need to achieve to complete each of the 45 levels. Some of these solutions involve puzzle solving, while others require quick movement or completion of a level with a unique configuration, such reversible gravity. The world is filled with strange creatures that range from shadowy things to translucent jellyfish-like creations, all with peering eyeballs. You play a shadowy creature equipped with a white mask who must run, jump, and trampoline its way through the mysterious world, while also solving block pushing puzzles and manipulating objects using a reverse/negative version of itself.

Ecotone is currently available for PC and Mac via Steam and the Humble Store.

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New Blip: Pyre

Pyre is the latest game under development by Supergiant Games, the studio behind Bastion and Transistor (our 2014 Game of the Year). Their third game is a party-based RPG focusing on a group of individuals who have been exiled from the Commonwealth, but they learn of a secret competition that may allow them to return home with their transgressions forgiven. Each of the exiled characters has different abilities which aid them in the competition, and players must learn to use the strengths of each character cooperatively, as only one can be controlled at a time. Each team has a pyre on their end of the arena that they must defend, while also attempting to carry a glowing orb into the pyre of their opponents, which temporarily removes that player from the playfield. Players must take advantage of speed to get the orb to the other side of the arena, strategy to avoid attacks from competitors, and weapons to disable their foes and remove the orb from their possession.

As this is a Supergiant production, you can also expect high production values, with fabulous art, music, and writing... in fact, the player learns of the game's lore in an interesting way by selecting highlighted words to delve deeper into certain elements, and can even select whether the game refers to the player as a he, she, or gender-neutral "they".

The game is coming to PC via Steam and PS4 via PSN in 2017.




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

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Target Acquired: Saving Princess

Saving Princess, from BRAINOS, is a bite-sized nonlinear action platformer, inspired by Metroid and Mega Man. The game is light on story, featuring one Portia Crane, an Asset Recovery Specialist on a mission stated only as: IF THEY GET PRINCESS, THE WAR IS LOST. IT'S UP TO YOU. Portia is tasked with working her way through a space station and taking down bounty hunters who are on a similar mission, and she must overcome a number of mechanical monstrosities along the way. Rather than earning new abilities, Portia gains access to new areas by powering up her weapon and earning elemental-themed enhancements, allowing her to do things like freeze enemies and melt ice spikes. And, since her weapon also acts as her midair jump, adding to its capacity allows her to cross larger gaps to reach new areas and out-of-the-way upgrades.

Saving Princess is available for PC via Itch.io (which includes a demo) and Android via Google Play, and an iOS version is in the works. Check our full coverage here.

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