Proximity Alert: Grapple Force Rena

Grapple Force Rena, from Tim Ashley Jenkins and GalaxyTrail (the developers behind Freedom Planet), was originally an experimental exercise in developing a serialized browser-based grapple-platformer, but has since switched over to the more traditional full game release as a downloadable title. In this game, you take on the role of Rena, a girl with magical grapple bracelets that let her, well, grapple onto stuff. She uses this ability to swing around the environment, snag enemies to toss them into one another, and even use enemy projectiles against them. Gameplay mixes combat with puzzle platforming and even some vehicle sequences to keep players on their toes, and punctuates the experience with some larger-than-life bosses. The game offers simple yet colorful visuals to create a cartoony world reminiscent of 16-bit classics.

The game is coming to PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam on December 4. A browser-based demo is available on the developer's website.




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

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New Blip: Eastward

Eastward, from Pixpil Games and Chucklefish Games, is an action-adventure set in a post apocalyptic world. You take on the role of John, a digger who discovers a mysterious girl in an underground facility. John must guide the girl through the wasteland, interacting with colorful and unusual NPC's, solving puzzles, and doing battle with dangerous creatures and rampaging machinations along the way. The game is styled after 90's anime and features gorgeously detailed environments as imagined by pixel artist Hong Moran.

The game is coming to PC and Mac but does not have an announced release date.




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

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Target Acquired: Save me Mr Tako: Tasukete Tako-San

Tasukete Tako-San: Save me Mr Tako, from Christophe Galati and publisher Nicalis (1001 Spikes, Cave Story+) is inspired by the Game Boy titles of old, with its simple sprites and 4-color palette... but without motion blur, and with a widescreen presentation and color themes extending beyond varying shades of pea green. The game tells the story of a war between octopuses and humans, but one octopus refuses to fight, casting off his octopussy armor and diving into the sea to save a drowning princess who was made to walk the plank. The octopus' quest sees him adventuring through platforming environments as he moves through underwater caverns, speaks with NPC's, and moves onto the surface to travel through the human world. Along the way, he is able to collect up to 50 hats, each of which offers a new ability, such as several new projectile types, increased damage resistance, and faster movement speed.

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

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Proximity Alert: Battle Princess Madelyn

Battle Princess Madelyn is from Causal Bit Games, the developers behind the dark and gritty Insanity's Blade, a game inspired by late 80's arcade games like Black Tiger and Ghouls 'n Ghosts. The game got its start as the developer's daughter enjoyed watching her dad play the first level of Ghouls ‘n Ghosts over and over so she could watch him fight what she called "Green Head", the first level boss. And, while her dad couldn't exactly put her into GnG, he could make her the star of her own GnG-style game, and so Battle Princess Madelyn was born. The game begins as Maddi's village comes under attack, and an evil wizard kidnaps her family and kills her dog. Despite being a kid, she puts on some armor and heads out to to kill the wizard, tossing projectiles like King Arthur before her (with a very similar animation). Accompanied by the ghost of her dead pooch, she cuts a swath through the undead and other monstrous creatures, with the ghost dog firing projectiles behind her, which change depending on what armor she's wearing. The player plays through a variety of dark and atmospheric environments, facing off against huge bosses along the way, until he eventually reaches the end... and is sent back to the start of the game in GnG tradition.

The game is coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch on December 6, 2018, and is planned for release on Vita and Wii U in 2019. A PC demo is available on the game's Steam page.

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Proximity Alert: Desert Child

Desert Child, from Oscar Brittain is set on a ruined earth and stars a hoverbike racer who is trying to put together enough money to get off this stinkin' planet and get his ass to Mars. His life consists of entering races, customizing his bike, going to work, and occasionally chillin' out with a bowl of ramen noodles to earn him some buffs for the next race. He still has to make rent each month, so he can take on missions to track down bounties or run some drugs to get some extra coin in his pocket. The hoverbike can be customized with different weapons and modifiers, allowing the racer to blast his way through the competition as he works his way up through the circuit... or purposely throw the race for a payoff. The game features chunky pixel art with lots of explosions and special effects as the player rips through the scenery, with sci-fi artwork inspired by Cowboy Bebop, Akira, and Redline.

The game is right around the corner. It's coming to PC, Mac, and Linux, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One on December 11. Check out the release date trailer and a gameplay montage below.

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Target Acquired: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon was developed by Inti Creates (Azure Striker Gunvolt, Blaster Master Zero) and ArtPlay and was released as a bonus for backers of the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Kickstarter campaign. The game is a retro throwback inspired by the Castlevania series, with lots of parallels to Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse in particular, and it was developed in partnership with Castlevania series legend Koji “Iga” Igarashi. You take on the role of a demon hunter who is on a mission to defeat evil. On his journey, he meets up with three other individuals, each of whom offers to accompany him on his mission. Players can swap freely between these characters to make use of their abilities, allowing them to use their unique subweapons to combat enemies and differing movement abilities to access alternate paths. The game is stylistically similar to the Castlevania games of the 8-bit era, but offers crisp visuals, a widescreen presentation, and some impressive screen-filling boss encounters.

The game is available for PC via Steam, PS4 and Vita via PSN, Switch and 3DS via eShop, and Xbox One via Microsoft Store. Check our coverage here.

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New Blip: Vision Soft Reset

Vision Soft Reset, from Mark Radocy, is a time-travelling metroidvania featuring a prescient cyborg who must use its knowledge of the future to prevent a calamity that will destroy the world. Not only can the player use time reversal to get out of tight situations and solve environmental puzzles, he can also see a little into the future, with grey shadows showing where the enemy will be in the near future, allowing the player to prepare for incoming attacks before they happen. There's also a unique "time tree" system that allows the player to perform actions and then go back in time and cross over his own path, taking a new direction with skills acquired from later in the timeline... or even use his abilities to sequence break and move to later parts of the game.

The game is planned for release on PC, but does not yet have an announced release date. A playable demo is available on Itch.io and GameJolt.




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

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New Blip: ITTA

ITTA, from Glass Revolver, is a bullet hell action-RPG starring a girl and her mysterious floating cat. The little girl is Itta, and she wakes up one day to find her entire family murdered, and so she grabs her father's old revolver and sets out on a quest for answers and revenge. The game takes its inspirations from The Legend of Zelda, Nuclear Throne, and Titan Souls, offering top-down gameplay across an open world with gorgeous visuals, detailed and often disturbing animations, and dozens of boss creatures. Along the way, Itta has the opportunity to assist people in need of aid, and gain new melee- and projectile-based weapons to help her destroy the terrible creatures that await her.

The game is coming to PC in 2019.




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

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Target Acquired: Furwind

Furwind, from Boomfire Games, is a colorful platformer starring a fox named Furwind who must save his village from an ancient evil that was recently resurrected. Furwind runs and jumps through levels, using his tail to whack enemies and defeat minibosses as he collects coins, frees imprisoned villagers, and completes optional puzzle-centric challenge missions. Most levels are nonlinear, allowing Furwind to head off in any direction he likes, but he must defeat the minibosses in order to open the exit. Gameplay is mixed between open forest areas that allow for free exploration, darkened caves where the player must collect fireflies to avoid being killed by enemies that hide in the dark, and towers where the player must ascend ever upward while avoiding pits of lava below.

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

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