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

August 30, 2020

Target Acquired: Witcheye

Witcheye, from Moon Kid, is a mobile-turned-console/PC game that offers retro-style visuals and charming enemy designs. You control a witch's floating eyeball as it pursues a knight that has stolen a bunch of her gems and potion ingredients. Rather than having direct control over the eyeball, you flick in a given direction, which causes the eye to fly along in a straight line, and you use this technique to defeat enemies, break blocks, and take down some pretty clever bosses and minibosses. There are 100 different enemy types to be found across 50+ short levels, and lots of gems to be found by smashing everything in sight and occasionally hunting around for their hiding places. The initial run through the game doesn't last long, but there are two harder difficulty settings, plus a miniboss and boss rush and speedrun modes.

The game came out on iOS and Android last year, but now you can get it on Switch via eShop or PC via Steam. Check our coverage here.


August 27, 2020

Target Acquired: Spirits Abyss

Caiysware, the studio behind gritty pixel-art actioners Straimium Immortaly and Skelly Selest (take that, spellcheck!), has returned with Spirits Abyss, another gritty pixel-art actioner, but this time it's a roguelike platformer that gives the player the ability to destroy chunks of the environment, Spelunky-style. It is said that tossing a child into the abyss under the light of a blood moon may allow that child to return one day with great riches and power over The Undying. You take on the role of one such child who has been tossed into a pit where you must navigate procedurally generated subterranean landscapes filled with menacing creatures and the odd friendly character, racking up loot and taking part in the occasional collectible card game along the way. There are a few modes of play and additional playable characters, encouraging replay using different weapons and playstyles.

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



August 25, 2020

New Blip: Demons Ate My Neighbors

Were you one of those kids who turned out the lights and went in for 2P zombie-slaying action in the charming cartoony world of Zombies Ate My Neighbors? Well if so, we've got some good news for you. Developer Tuned-Out Games is resurrecting the spirit of LucasArts' classic with Demons Ate My Neighbors (DAMN), a game that captures the original's visual style, music, and humor. The game takes place in 1991 in the suburbs of Fairweather Valley, which finds itself thrown into turmoil by a cursed VHS tape that unleashes zombies demons into the neighborhood. You take on the role of Amy and Joey - or both in local 2P co-op - as they exorcise demons using holy water pistols, hunt for secrets, and hop over walls using trampolines. Players are able to upgrade their projectiles, swap nozzles for different spray effects, and overpump for heavy damage. Environments are procedurally generated, but there are lots of destructible objects as well as permanent upgrades gained from defeating bosses.

The game is coming to PC and Switch on September 1, 2021.

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

August 22, 2020

Target Acquired: Inmost

Inmost, from Hidden Layer Games, stars three playable characters, each with different abilities, and it is set in two different worlds, both of which are dark and foreboding, and both are narratively connected. While one character may be able to rely on his combat abilities, others must use their wits and agility to survive puzzle platforming challenges and escape the dark forces that rise up around them. A portion of the game takes place in an abandoned castle and sees you sneaking about, exploring rooms, discovering secret passages, and springing the occasional trap. In other areas, you must escape rampaging monsters... or fight them head-on, ultimately attempting to defeat a terrible creature that feeds upon human suffering.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and GOG, Switch via eShop, and Apple Arcade via App Store.




August 16, 2020

Target Acquired: Kunai

Kunai, from TurtleBlaze, is a ninja-based metroidvania starring a tablet named Tabby on a quest to destroy an artificial intelligence that has brought humanity to the brink of destruction. Action remains fast and furious as you slice up bad robots - and meet some good ones - across cities, deserts, and airships. As you play, you unlock new weapons and abilities, including a katana that lets you kill enemies, slice bullets out of the air, and deflect missiles, along with a kunai-driven grappling hook that lets you swing around and cling to the ceiling, and twin Uzis that let you mow down rampaging androids and other no-good machines.

The game now available for PC via Steam and Switch via eShop.




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

August 13, 2020

Target Acquired: Bite the Bullet

Bite the Bullet is the latest from Mega Cat Studios, the studio behind Coffee Crisis and Log Jammers. The game is a run-and-gun shooter that borrows elements from the Metal Slug and Contra series, but tosses in a bit of cannibalism for good measure. It's not enough to simply kill your enemies... by eating their corpses - and eating bullets and buildings - you can create new weapons and gain new abilities along a skill tree. You are what you eat, as consuming different kinds of enemies determine what kinds of weapons and modifiers you gain, or what skills you can acquire, such as the ability to spew napalm vomit or transform into a giant mutant creature.

The game is now available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam, GOG, and Humble Store, Switch via eShop, and Xbox One via Microsoft Store, and it's coming to PS4 as well.


New Blip: Azure Striker Gunvolt 3

Azure Strikers gotta Gunvolt, as they say, and now Gunvolt is back for a new adventure from Inti Creates, the studio behind Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and its sequel, Blaster Master Zero and its sequel, lots of Mega Man games, and of course, the Azure Striker Gunvolt series and its spinoffs. Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 once again stars in this new sidescrolling actioner, and this time he has a new friend named Kirin. Gunvolt has his trademark electrical attacks while Kirin brings melee-based combat with a sword that she uses to strike enemies and deflect projectiles. She can also make use of throwable items to hit enemies at a distance and stun them, and she has some electrical special attacks of her own.

The game does not yet have an announced release date, but it's being developed from the ground up for Switch, rather than starting out on the 3DS like the first two games in the series.

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

August 11, 2020

New Blip: Clan O'Conall and the Crown of the Stag

Clan O'Conall and the Crown of the Stag, from HitGrab, is an action platformer set in ancient Ireland and inspiredy by Celtic folklore. You take on the role of three siblings, each with different abilities, as they fight their way through evil spirits and bosses on a mission to save their father. You can swap between the three characters on the fly to make use of the warrior's sword, the archer's rapid-fire bow and arrows, and the brute's raw strength. Between these three, players must overcome environmental challenges and deal with enemies using brawler-style combat. The game leans heavily on its art style, offering stark visuals with pre-Renaissance northern European-style artwork and trees that look like they just stepped out of an Eyvind Earle painting.

The game is coming to PC and Mac this fall.

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

August 5, 2020

New Blip: Xenosis: Alien Infection

Xenosis: Alien Infection, from NerdRage Studios, is a creepy top-down survival shooter set aboard the derelict Starship Carpathian, which was thought to have been destroyed five decades prior. You take on the role of a salvage operator who plans to become rich by selling the ship's AI core. He expects the ship to be abandoned, but nothing could be further from the truth... the crew may be dead but they are not gone. As you explore, you discover hideous creatures (possibly space vampires based on the name of the ship) lurking in the darkness. Some drag themselves along the floor, pulling their entrails behind them, while others are aggressive brutes. You'll have to overcome the ship's systems, refill your oxygen tanks, repair tears in your suit, and craft supplies, ammo, and upgrades for your weapons and suit. The game features 2D artwork with dynamic 3D lighting effects and positional sound to add to the horror atmosphere.

The game is to PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PS4, and Switch in 2021.

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