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

September 29, 2022

Target Acquired: Dark Light

Dark Light, from Mirari+Co., is a gritty sci-fi actioner set in a cyberpunk world populated by supernatural creatures that are invisible to the naked eye. You take on the role of a Dark Hunter, and you use light from a hovering drone to detect these invisible enemies. Once they have been revealed, you can smash them with your trusty sledgehammer, or use one of many guns, melee weapons, or throwables that you encounter during your mission. Enemies range from loping ghouls to flying dragons to hulking abominations, along with more advanced foes capable of wielding weapons and shields. The game offers nonlinear progression and the ability to upgrade weapons and skills by collecting shards from defeated enemies.

The game is now available for PC and Mac via Steam.

September 27, 2022

Target Acquired: Moonscars

Moonscars, from Black Mermaid (game tweets), is a soulslike slasher set in a dark and unforgiving world. You take on the role of a clayborne warrior known as Grey Irma who is on a mission to find the Sculptor and learn more about her existence. Per genre conventions, the challenge level is high, and the only way to make your way forward is to die, learn, and die again. The game offers nonlinear exploration in a lovely (mostly grey) world, along with slick and brutal combat animations as you use magic and cleave your way through creatures of the night and grotesque bosses.

The game is now available for PC via Steam, GOG, and Humble Store, Switch via eShop, PS4 and PS5 via PSN, and Xbox One and X/S via Microsoft Store.

Target Acquired: Black Witchcraft

Here's a game back from the dead... Black Witchcraft was originally announced for release at the end of 2015, but after it missed that target, and social media updates stopped in 2017, we dropped it from our Watchlist. But Quattro Gear has finally delivered their combo-based action-RPG inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The game features high-rez gothic artwork and some dark and twisted enemy and boss designs. Players control a witch with mechanical legs who carries a suitcase with a big red eye on the side. The suitcase is able to transform into a number of weapons, including a spear and a scythe for up-close action, and it can extend into a minigun for long-range asskickery.

The game is now availalbe for PC via Steam, and it's also planned for consoles... but I don't think that Vita release is still gonna happen.


September 26, 2022

New Blip: Momodora: Moonlit Farewell

Momodora: Moonlit Farewell, from Bombservice, is the latest in a long running series that got its start more than a decade ago, consisting of Momodora 1-3 and a prequel entitled Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight. The studio took a break from this series of dark female-led metroidvanias and actioners to make Minoria, a dark female-led metroidvania actioner... so hey they're stickin' with what works! For those who haven't played a boatload of Momodora games (like us), the series stars two main protagonists: Momo and Dora. Dora, high priestess of Koho village, takes the lead role once again to save her village from an evil bellringer who has called forth an army of demons. The game is set five years after the events of Momodora III, and while it is built upon those foundations, it's intended to be enjoyed by veterans and newcomers alike. This metroidvania features fast combat with melee combos, a snappy dash maneuver, and projectile-based combat with a bow and arrows. As the series has grown and improved, so too has the quality of the art and animations, with this latest outing offering stunning character designs, foreboding environments, nasty-looking monsters, and menacing bosses.

The game is coming to PC, but it 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.

September 23, 2022

Target Acquired: Shovel Knight Dig

Yacht Club Games returns with another tale in the Shovel Knight saga, this time teaming up with Nitrome, the studio behind Bomb Chicken and numerous mobile titles. Shovel Knight Dig sees everyone's favorite knight of shovelry - with increased graphical fidelity - in a descent-based adventure that mixes elements of the Dig Dug / Mr. Driller series and 1-on-1 Mega Man-style boss battles. Shovel Knight still fights enemies and grabs treasure, but this time around, he gains new abilities that let him hurl bouncing projectiles, blast nearby enemies with a great horn, and shrink down to a minuscule size to fit through small openings.

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


September 22, 2022

Target Acquired: No Place for Bravery

No Place for Bravery, from developer Glitch Factory, is brutal top-down action adventure set in a cruel and violent world. You take on the role of Thorn, a former soldier who hopes to settle down and live the quiet life... but when he spots the man who abducted his daughter, he finds himself pulled back into his warrior ways. Thorn faces a relentless onslaught of enemies and environmental challenges as he leaves a trail of blood and bodies in his wake. Players must dodge, parry, and counterattack if they hope to survive, and new weapons are be discovered along the way that offer advantages in combat.

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

September 19, 2022

Target Acquired: There Is No Light

There is No Light, from Zelart (game tweets), is a dark action-RPG set in a world where most of the population has been wiped out by some great catastrophe... but one man takes a stand. Now the world is filled with demons and other grotesque monstrosities that view you as a tasty morsel, and everything is covered in fleshy globs, spider webs, and piles of corpses. With a bit of skill, you can push the demons back and possibly save the world, which reacts to your actions, for better or worse. Armed with a sword and a healthy dodge roll, you fight through hordes of enemy creatures and hellish boss creatures across a nonlinear world, stringing together combos to fuel your rage and unleash more powerful attacks.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and GOG, and it's also planned for release on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox X/S.


September 15, 2022

Target Acquired: Grid Force - Mask Of The Goddess

Developer Playtra Games is partnering with an LGTBQ+ non-profit organization called the It Gets Better Project, which supports LGBTQ+ youth around the world. The studio developed Grid Force - Mask Of The Goddess, offering an all-female cast with LGBTQ+ representation and diverse cultural backgrounds for its 45 playable characters. Your goal is to befriend companions to assist you in battle, developing their skills and unlocking new abilities along the way, as well as acquiring powerful masks from defeated goddesses. Combat takes place on a grid, Mega Man Battle Network-style, with the player on the left side of the arena and the enemy on the right. Your decisions impact the narrative as well, as it is up to you whether to spare or kill the goddesses you fight, and many characters you encounter have difficulties that you must help them overcome. All the while, you are attempting to save the world from an endless loop of collapse and reboot.

The game is now available for PC via Steam, and it's also planned for release on Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox X/S.

September 13, 2022

Target Acquired: Freedom Planet 2

The furry heroines of Freedom Planet have returned in Freedom Planet 2, from GalaxyTrail, and this time around they're joined by a new friend. Players take on the role of the speedy dragon Lilac, the brawling wildcat Carol, the sleuthing hound dog Milla, and a powerful frost giant named Neera. This skilled quartet explores the massive world of Avalice and interacts with dozens of animal NPC's on their quest to take down Merga, an ancient and terrible water dragon who has recently reemerged into the world. Players can expect to explore a beautiful world full of charming characters, engage in fast-paced combat, compete in battle arenas, equip items for new effects, and even mix some potions to gain the upper hand in battle... all in the charm and spirit of the Sega CD era.

The game is now available for PC via Steam and Itch, and it is also planned for release on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox X/S.

September 9, 2022

Target Acquired: Doko Roko

In Doko Roko, from Eric Mack, you take on the role of a small adventurer with a big sword who must make his way up The Tower, which extends thousands of feet into the sky and passes beyond the clouds, with each section containing its own inhabitants and ecosystem. Along the way, you'll have access to magical artifacts and a variety of swords from across the world to protect you against the tower's more hostile elements, allowing you to attack your foes, parry enemy strikes, and deflect projectiles. The game is intended to be light on story but heavy on atmosphere as you make changes to the world within the tower, and it also changes you.

The game is now available for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam.


September 8, 2022

Target Acquired: Linked Mask

Linked Mask, from Spoonman Games, is a Game Boy-style platformer set in a wasteland where six grand towers have been erected, each of which is home to a deity that is worshiped by the people below. Each tower also contains a mask that grants control over one of the elements, and it is up to you to acquire each of these masks, defeat the deities who guard them, and free the masses from their rule. Each time you acquire a mask, you gain a new weapon and environmental traversal skill, which allows you to revisit previous towers and discover new areas. Players can jet through the air between electrical nodes, jump up along vertical surfaces, and smash through blocks.

The game is now available for PC via Steam.


September 3, 2022

New Blip: Vikings on Trampolines

D-Pad Studio, the team behind Owlboy – one of the finest 2D action adventures of the last decade – has returned with Vikings on Trampolines, a game about... er, Vikings (on trampolines). The game offers a single player adventure, local 4P multiplayer, PvP, and minigames. You take on the role of one of four Vikings as you hop between springy trampolines and bouncy balloons attempting to knock your opponents off the edge in Versus mode. Or you can take down enemies and gigantic boss creatures in Adventure mode as you embark on a mission to collect the king's toy animals and rescue the king himself. Minigames offer some variations on basic boing-boinging with bouncy sportsball, competitive balloon popping, and more. Per the studio's pedigree, the game is absolutely packed with beautiful pixel art, stylish character designs, and a punchy soundtrack.

The game is coming to PC soon, but it does not yet have an official release date... but it probably won't be in development for 10 years like Owlboy.

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

September 1, 2022

Target Acquired: Chenso Club

Chenso Club, from Pixadome (developers of Hayfever), is a brawler-platformer starring five girls on a mission to save the world from an alien invasion. There's Blue, an android girl with a chainsaw; Carmine, an armored guard with a huge spiked hammer; Plum, a witch who uses a broom casts magical projectiles; Alice, a mountain climber who uses ice axes and a grappling hook; and Molly, a firefighter who tosses globs of water... and grenades! The girls manage to find a way to use the aliens' life force to imbue themselves with great power, allowing them to dash and smash, bounce off of enemies, and perform fast-moving combat maneuvers, leaving colorful sprays of blood and piles of meaty giblets in their wake. Levels are randomized, and players can go it alone or bring along a fellow Chenso girl for offline cooperative obliteration.

The game is now available for PC via Steam, Switch via eShop, PS4 via PSN, and Xbox One and X/S via Microsoft Store. Check our coverage here.