New Blip: Wulverblade

Wulverblade, from Darkwind Media and Fully Illustrated, is a sidescrolling beat 'em up taking place in Britain in 120 AD. You control one of a pair of burly bearded men with swords and shields - or badass woman named Guinevere - who brutally slash their way through opposing armies, spraying blood across the battlefield. Battle your way though the rolling hills, forests, caves, cities, and enemy fortresses taking down enemies and bosses with a variety of melee weapons. Locales and certain key characters are based on their real world counterparts, and the game is presented in a dark illustrated style. Go it alone, or team up with a local companion for 2P co-op.

The game is headed to PC, Mac, Linux, and Xbox One later this year.




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

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New Blip: Bleed 2

Remember Bleed? We sure do. Bleed was a stylish acrobatic shooter starring a purple-haired heroine named Wryn. Well, Bootdisk Revolution hasn't forgotten either, and now they're following up with a sequel entitled - you guessed it - Bleed 2. Wryn wryturns... ahem, returns... and she's more agile than ever, dashing through the air with her pistol and energy blade, wrecking shop on gun-wielding freaks and looking sharp doing it. The wry Wryn wrecks wrongdoers with reckless abandon as she deflects bullets, leaps across flying missiles, and curves between incoming projectiles while aiming shooty death in their direction. In addition to the high-flying action, the game features dozens of bosses, unlockable weapons, and new playable characters, as well as 2P local co-op.

Bleed 2 is coming to PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam at the end of this year or the beginning of next.




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

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Target Acquired: RunGunJumpGun

Taking a page out of the book of No Time to Explain, RunGunJumpGun from Thirty Three Games stars an action hero who uses his oversized weapon as an enemy-sploder and a bullet-propulsion system. The lone soldier must deal with enemies and dodge projectiles while keeping himself suspended over pits of spikes and lava in a post-apocalyptic world. The player must rapidly switch between firing forward and firing downward, and making a mistake sends him hurtling backward. Gamers will need fast reflexes and an incredible tolerance for high-contrast oversaturated mayhem flying at their meaty faces from all angles.

RunGunJumpGun is now on PC and Mac via Steam. Check our coverage here.

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Proximity Alert: Azure Striker Gunvolt 2

Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 is the sequel to Azure Striker Gunvolt, from Inti Creates, the studio behind behind a number of latter day entries in the Mega Man series, as well as Mighty No. 9. The hero of the original game, Gunvolt, makes a return, using his electrical abilities to defeat enemies directly and chaining together arcs of electricity to wipe out groups of foes. A new playable character is introduced in the form of Copen, Gunvolt's rival, with entirely different gameplay, focusing on dashing quickly around the environment and unleashing barrages of homing missiles. Also borrowing from Mega Man, Copen can copy boss abilities and turn them against his enemies.

The game is headed to the 3DS via the Nintendo eShop and a physical release - which also contains the original game - on September 30. For more details about the Gunvolt universe, check our coverage of the original game here.

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

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Target Acquired: Klang

Klang is an unusual game from developer Tinimations, offering a mixture of platforming and rhythm action. You take on the role of Klang, a fellow who has been imprisoned by Soundlord Sonus. Equipped with a tuning fork, you fight your way through enemies with the proper timing to dodge their attacks and deflect sounds back at them. In addition, you must hop across platforms to avoid sound explosions, climb up walls that are constantly being bombarded with energy, and even take on some challenging bosses. The rhythmic timing-based gameplay is backed by EDM composer bLiNd.

Klang is now available for PC via Steam.

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Target Acquired: Seraph

Seraph, from Dreadbit, is an acrobatic platforming shooter starring an angel named Seraph who is trapped inside a human body and imprisoned. Fortunately, she has has mastered the art of "Gun Fu" (a term sure to tickle the fancy of Joe Bob Briggs), and uses these skills to take down legions of demonkind as she makes her escape, attempting to keep her mortal vessel alive in the process. The game features procedurally generated levels, enemy layouts, and loot drops, requiring players to stay on their feet - or in the air, anyway - and the difficulty level scales along with the player's abilities for a bit of extra demonic punishment. However, the game is not a roguelike, and the player can activate checkpoints in order to continue the game should he fall in battle. Seraph makes use of a wide variety of weapons to blast away enemies with an auto-aim feature that allows her to jump over baddies and leap between platforms while unloading sprays of bullets and dodging enemy fire.

Seraph is now available for PC via Steam, and is also planned for release on PS4 later this year.




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

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Target Acquired: Mother Russia Bleeds

Mother Russia Bleeds, from Le Cartel, is a vigorously violent and bloody beat ‘em up set in an alternate 1986 Soviet Russia where a drug addicted street fighter breaks free from his kidnappers to murder the bejeezus out of every person he sees. The game features copious amounts of blood spewing forth from every face-mashed thug you encounter, mixed in with lots of leather, BDSM, mutated monstrosities, and frequent drug use… In Soviet Russia, winners do use drugs! Players can also team up with their fellow comrades for 4P local gangbanging.

Mother Russia Bleeds is now available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam, GOG, and Humble Store, and it's coming soon to PS4. Check our coverage here.

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New Blip: Sonic Mania

It's no secret that Sega's most fondly remembered Sonic the Hedgehog titles were the 2D iterations from the Genesis era, and now - 25 years later - the company has decided to revisit these classics with Sonic Mania, an all-new game showcasing some of the finest moments from the series' 2D history, along with some entirely new areas for Sonic, Tales, and Knuckles to explore. The game is being developed in collaboration with Christian Whitehead and Headcanon, who worked on several modern re-releases of 2D Sonic titles, as well as Pagoda West Games. In addition, a new move has been added to the mix, called the "drop dash" which allows Sonic and pals to drop out of the sky and hit the ground with a burst of speed.

The game is headed to PC, PS4, and Xbox One in Spring of 2017. In addition, a $70 collector's edition features the following goodies:






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

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New Blip: Standby

Standby, from developer Noclip (game site), is a fast-paced minimalist platformer taking place across more than 50 levels. Platforms are color-coded, with black being the neutral color of walls and floors, but players move through environments at a break-neck pace and must be wary of the color changes around them. Red platforms may be dashed across, yellow ones must be smashed through, and blue ones can send the player flying across the screen perpendicularly, while flashing lasers are deadly. There is, of course, a speedrun mode to put the skills of hyper-reactive players to the test.

The game is coming to PC via Steam later this year.




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

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Target Acquired: Seasons After Fall

Seasons After Fall, from France-based indie studio Swing Swing Submarine - developers of Blocks That Matter - features a wild fox that is traveling across the landscape, exploring, platforming, and interacting with the guardians of the seasons. The key to progressing is the player’s ability to change between any of the 4 seasons at will, and doing so may have dramatic effects on the environment. For instance, if your path is blocked by water, you may change the season to winter, causing it to freeze and allowing you to pass. If you cannot reach a high ledge, you may water a seedling, which will sprout into a full-sized tree before your eyes as you change to the proper season, allowing you to climb up.

The game has been in development since 2009 - although development was placed on hold for a while - and it is now available for PC via Steam. Mac and Linux versions are expected later this year, and console versions (Xbox One and PS4) are still a possibility. Check our coverage here.

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Proximity Alert: Dragon Bros

In Dragon Bros, from Space Lizard Studio, you take on the role of a teenage dragon - or two teenage dragons in local 2P co-op - as he goes on a robot-blasting journey to rescue your mom and save the world from aliens. Players have access to pistols, shotguns, machine guns, and giant lasers to take down a variety of enemies and collect scraps that allow them to purchase upgrades to increase their firepower and add secondary effects like bouncing bullets.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, and Linux this month. A playable demo is available via Dropbox.




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

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Proximity Alert: Best Buds vs. Bad Guys

Super Icon, the developers behind Life of Pixel, have returned with Best Buds vs. Bad Guys, a co-op run-and-gun that that features a pair of friends sucked into their video gaming system during a storm. The game takes place across 11 themed worlds inspired by themes of classic gaming (not unlike Life of Pixel), running the gamut of bloody factories, spooky graveyards, a number of fantasy worlds, and even a world filled with pastries and candy. Players have access to a huge array of weaponry that becomes available as they play, representing some standard armaments as well as more cartoonish weaponry like banana napalm. The game is presented in a colorful 16-bit style, with numerous references to classic games.

The game is headed for PC, Mac, Linux via Steam this month, and releasing later on Wii U, Xbox One, and Vita.




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

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Target Acquired: Featherpunk Prime

Featherpunk Prime from Super Hatch Games is a twin-stick platformer starring an acrobatic robot flamingo on a mission to ascend a tower and take down an arms manufacturer known as the Cybirdroid Corporation. The seemingly ungainly creature is able to wall slide, rail grind, and air dash his way through environments while dodging bullets and laying down heavy fire against enemies and bosses. Weaponry includes bullet-spewing miniguns, precision crossbows, deployable turrets, and energy swords, among others, and the player is able to upgrade his firepower by grabbing loot from downed enemies. The player can also gain additional support from F-Droid, a flying support bot that follows you around and lays down additional firepower.

Featherpunk Prime is now available for PC via Steam and releasing this month on the Humble Store. Check our coverage here.

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Arrival Delayed: Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero was originally due to be released this month... on September 27 to be exact, but the release is being pushed back by about six weeks and the game is now set to arrive in November. Additionally, the planned PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game have been cancelled.

Shantae is finally hitting the big time, starring in her first non-handheld release with Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. The game is under development by WayForward, one of the few major studios still releasing games in a 2D format, including Contra 4 and the Wii release of A Boy and His Blob. WayForward is also responsible for the original Shantae on Game Boy Color, as well as its DSi/iOS follow-up Shantae: Risky's Revenge, and its 3DS follow-up Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. This newest release will retain the core mechanics of those previous, with Shantae whipping her hair to kill enemies, exploring colorful platforming worlds, and doing the occasional bit of belly dancing. Shantae will use magical transformations to explore the land and even return to previous areas to access new paths, Metroidvania style. Like the studio's own DuckTales Remastered this game features 2D characters and enemies with 3D objects and environments. Check our full preview here.

The game is releasing for multiple digital platforms: PC, PS4, Vita, Xbox One, and Wii U, along with physical releases for PS4, Vita, and Wii U.

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Early Arrival: Switchcars

Switchcars, from developer Altfuture, is roguelike arcade-style action game featuring a fellow who is racing madly across the landscape and trying desperately to reach the year 2055. The only problem? Spacetime is a huge mess, and he keeps leaping between locations and time periods while also being chased by gigantic alien space worms. The game offers more than 1,000 driveable vehicles, with different vehicles becoming available as you enter different time periods (from 1950-2055), but not all of them are suitable in all situations. For instance, you may find yourself hurtling down the tracks in a train when a timeslip sends you onto a highway, which quickly grinds you to a halt. The player must switch between vehicles, including cars, trucks, trains, boats, helicopters, and many others while dealing with oncoming traffic, draining fuel, blown tires, and tuckered out horses, requiring the player to make another quick switch or meet his end.

Car switching madness can be had now for PC and Linux via Steam Early Access.




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

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