New Blip: 9 Years of Shadows

9 Years of Shadows, from Halberd Studios, is a metroidvania featuring a young noblewoman wielding a halberd (hey, that's the name of the studio!) who must end a curse to save the land. You take on the role of Europa as she begins her journey in a mechanical construction called Talos Castle, using her halberd to fight its dark inhabitants. Along the way, she meets a floating teddy bear named Apino, who uses ranged magic, and together they protect each other while they rid the world of corruption. Using elemental armors named for Helios, Gaia, and Poseidon, you are able to use their powers of fire, earth, and water to reach new areas. The game offers retro visuals and a soundtrack composed by Michiru Yamane (Castlevania series), Manami Matsumae (Mega Man series), and Norihiko Hibino (Metal Gear Solid series).

The game is coming to PC "soon", and is also planned for release on Switch.

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

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Target Acquired: Arietta of Spirits

Arietta of Spirits, from Third Spirit (game site), stars the titular hero, a plucky redhead who finds herself on an adventure leads her to explore the mysteries of the Spirit Realm. Arietta revisits her grandmother's cabin a year after her passing when she begins seeing ghostly beings, one of whom becomes her companion. Arietta explores the forests and caverns of the island, slowly uncovering its secrets as she interacts with NPC's, earns new abilities, and fights monsters and boss creatures.

The game is now available for PC via Steam, Switch via eShop, PS4 via PSN, and Xbox One via Microsoft Store.

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Test Flight: B.I.O.T.A.

A playable demo for B.I.O.T.A. is now available on Steam and GOG.

The game is a sci-fi actioner set in the year 21XX from developer Small Bros. You are in charge of a commando unit sent on a mission to investigate a mining colony located on an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter after communication with the colony is lost. Apparently, some kind of biological agent is running amok and taking control of every living thing it comes in contact with, including the miners, who have now mutated into monstrous creatures... but you may still be able to rescue the scientists and save the investment of your employer, the mining company that owns the mineral rights to the asteroid. Swap between 8+ playable team members to shoot their way through the mutant menace, unlock new weapons, and make use of a number of vehicles, including a mech suit, submarine, and fighter ship. The game offers chunky-pixelly 8-bit visuals with dozens of 4-color palettes to choose from.

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

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Target Acquired: Greak: Memories of Azur

Greak: Memories of Azur, from Navegante, is a sidescrolling action platformer where a single player alternates between three characters. You take on the roles of Greak, Adara, and Raydel, a trio of siblings who attempt to escape the Urlag Invasion by assembling a zeppelin. Each character has their own abilities, with Greak taking on the lead role - even though he is the youngest - and he starts out on his own before meeting up with his brother and sister. Greak can slash through enemies with his sword, and his small size allows him to reach areas that his siblings cannot. Adara uses projectile magic to hit enemies from a distance, and her ability to levitate makes her ideal for environmental exploration. Finally, there is Raydel, the oldest of the three, who is the brute of the bunch with a longsword and shield, as well as a hookshot that allows him to overcome the weight of his equipment to get around the environment. The game offers some nice lighting and particle effects, as well as lovely animations for the characters and enemies... which may be sliced in half or smashed into goo.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and GOG, Switch via eShop, PS5 via PSN, and Xbox S/X via Microsoft Store.

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New Blip: BIOMASS: Growth

BIOMASS: Growth is the latest from BRAIN0S, the developer behind Saving Princess and Space Cortex. The game originally started as a 72-hour game jam effort (our coverage), which explored the concept of your equipment degrading over time, which ran counter to most metroidvania titles where you grow increasingly stronger. This adds a sense of urgency as you fight your way through a space station that is slowly being overtaken by an ever-growing biomass. The core concept remains in place here, but the game is expanded (fleshed out if you will) into a greater adventure aboard a larger space station, with more detailed visuals and more grotesque abominations to fight. You take on the role of a clone who awakens in a lab, defenseless against the growing biomass that has already infiltrated much of the station. You must search around to find a weapon and an armored suit, fighting your way through enemies and biomass-controlled crew members as you attempt to learn what happened... and hopefully escape with your life.

The game is coming to PC soon.

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

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Target Acquired: Axiom Verge 2

Axiom Verge 2, from developer Tom Happ, is the sequel to Axiom Verge... or possibly a prequel... or possibly even virtual reality, the afterlife, or a dream... at any rate, it's the second game in the series, and Mr. Happ is keeping its place in the Axiom-verse to himself for the time being. The game takes place in what appears to be an alternate Earth, with its own variety of ecosystems and the remnants of some ancient civilization... all of which was somehow tucked within a cargo lift in Antarctica. As strange as all of that is, things still aren't quite what they seem. You take on the role of a billionaire named Indra who sets out across this alternate Earth to discover its secrets. She explores the open world, fights mechanical beasties and bosses, and uses her hacking skills to turn the odds in her favor.

The game is now available for PC via Epic Games Store, Switch via eShop, and PS4 via PSN.

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New Blip: Moonshell Island

Moonshell Island, from Cheekynauts Entertainment, is a throwback to the colorful isometric action-adventure games of yore, drawing its gameplay inspirations from The Legend of Zelda series. Moonshell Island has come under attack from creatures called nomsters, and you must not only fight back this onslaught of critters, but also save the people by recruiting them into Crabby's Cabana Club, the island's safe haven. As club membership grows, you'll need to upgrade it using resources from the island, and the more people you rescue, the more services there are to assist you in your quest. Along the way, you'll solve puzzles, take on side quests, learn more about the mysterious island, and even defeat giant killer tomatoes with your trusty whisk.

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

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

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Early Arrival: Anew: The Distant Light

Anew: The Distant Light, from Resonator Games (game site), is an open world action adventure featuring a child on an alien moon. The world is dangerous, and you must battle your way past enemies, solve environmental puzzles, complete platforming challenges, and explore otherworldly landscapes to discover new items and upgrades to help you on your journey. Though young, the boy is not shy about using heavy firepower as he runs down aliens with saws, blasts them with homing missiles, and lays down heavy machine gun fire with independent movement and aiming. He can also hop into vehicles to tear across the terrain and deliver even more destruction to his enemies, making use of a moon buggy, a UFO, a mech suit, and... an even bigger mech suit.

The game is now available for PC via Steam Early Access.

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Early Arrival: Death Trash

Death Trash, from Crafting Legends (game site), is an action-RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world that mixes sci-fi and grotesque horror to create disturbing scenes accompanied by dark humor. Various factions are struggling for power and fighting for resources, and something about the "Evergrowing Heart pounds for the Flesh Hive"... yeah, no idea what that means, but it should give you some idea of what you're in for. Gameplay focuses on blasty-shooty combat enhanced by item crafting and psionic powers, with a focus on dialogue - with options that provide some pretty nontraditional choices - and the ability to kill any NPC. The game supports 2P local drop-in/out co-op if you and a friend want to get weirdly uncomfortable together.

The game is now available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam Early Access, Epic Games Store Early Access, and Itch Early Access, and it's also planned for release on PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox X/S.


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

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