Home Blog Page 662

Play the new Steam and Xbox demo for breakneck physics-based platformer Esophaguys

Windpipedream mayhem awaits across multiple co-op and solo game modes!

Toronto, Canada, February 19th, 2025 – Esophaguys Team are proud to unveil an all new Steam and Xbox demo for Esophaguys, their upcoming physics-based platformer about old folks with elongated necks. Get ready to swing yourself around in 1-4 player guttural mayhem across co-op, competitive, and solo game modes when Esophaguys launches this Spring on PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms!

The Grand Prix Winner at Tokyo Game Show 2024’s Sense of Wonder Night competition, Esophaguys casts players as a gaggle of old folks who can stretch their necks at will. Stretch, bite, and swing together in co-op, compete in minigames for long-necked glory, and embark on a narrated story – all while featuring the world’s first soundscape composed of twanging tones and elderly grunts!

Esophaguys features a dynamic physics system that drives the gameplay as you hurl your long necked avatars through the scenery and form chains, navigate curved terrain, and make use of various items. Progress through each mode to reunite and unlock the garb of your lost lengthy kin.

Co-op Mode (2-4 players)
Stretch, bite, and swing together, traversing and solving puzzles as you search to reactivate the forgotten monuments of your diasporic people.

Minigame Mode (2-4 players)
In team-based sports or free-for-all arena, compete, neck against neck, to determine who has the greatest gullet.

Story Mode (1-4 players)
Accompanied by poignant narration, embark on a mythical journey to reunite your lost kin. Will you uncover the true nature of the neck?

Masochist Mode (1-4 players)
No land. No checkouts. Nothing but neck. Subject yourself to grueling challenges in a hellish atmosphere ripe for speedrunning.

This demo offers two stages of the single-player story campaign, two co-op levels, one competitive mini-game, a hardcore level, and a sneak peak at the hub world, with a small slice of character customization – which will be far more expansive in the full game.

Esophaguys also features the first video game soundtrack dedicated to jews-harp music in a variety of strictly traditional and experimental styles. With painstaking adherence to centuries old tradition, only using instruments from their respective regions, old time twangs from Austria, Norway, India, Kyrgyzstan, the British Isles and America will delight your ears with every jugular jiggle. Accompanied with over 3000+ personally recorded mouth-originated SFX, prepare your cochleas to be tickled to the extreme!

“With Esophaguys we wanted to create a wholly unique take on the physics-based platformer,” said Peyton Blake, Game Designer at Esophaguys Team. “Old people! Long necks! Throat sounds! These are all ingredients seldom seen in the genre that we thought we could make something entirely singular out of. More importantly, it’s a lot of fun! Whether played solo or with friends, Esophaguys offers topsy-turvy trachea-based turmoil that will challenge your thumbs and thorax’s alike!”

For more information on Esophaguys:

Wishlist on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2070860/Esophaguys/
Esophaguys website: https://www.esophaguys.com/

About Esophaguys Team

Esophaguys Team is made of up-and-coming game developers from the USA, Canada, and South Africa. We are passionate about bringing unique aesthetics and wonky gameplay together to create experiences filled with laughter.

INDIE VIDEO GAME PUBLISHER POLDEN ANNOUNCES TWO UNIQUE PARTNERSHIPS TO KICK OFF ITS DEBUT LINE-UP

Experience Lovecraftian horror in Static Dread and adorable locomotive management in Train Valley Origins, each with demos out now as part of Steam Next Fest

NICOSIA, Cyprus – Feb. 20, 2025 – Polden, the new indie publisher dedicated to helping talented creators connect with their audiences, announced its first two projects will be a pair of very different games, both coming to Steam later this year. Static Dread is a dark horror sim inspired by both Papers, Please and the unknowable terrors of H.P. Lovecraft. Train Valley  Origins, on the other hand,is a delightfully charming train strategy simulation game challenging players to optimize and manage intricate worlds of rail and locomotives.

“We’ve been quietly preparing for this moment, and we’re thrilled to reveal the first two titles in our lineup,” said Yaro Shalashov, Publishing Producer and Founder at Polden. “As creators ourselves, we understand the passion and dedication that goes into making a game. We also understand how challenging it can be to find your audience. At Polden, we are dedicated to amplifying the voices of talented indie game developers, and helping games reach their full potential.”

Players will get a chance to experience demos for both titles today and throughout Steam Next Fest.

Static Dread combines ancient Eldrich horrors with the eagle-eyed observation of Papers, Please to tell the tale of a lone lighthouse keeper tasked with maintaining the beacon of an ancient lighthouse after calamity has befallen the world. As your duties grow more perilous with each night, the fate of the nearby town and passing vessels are in your hands. Survive Lovecraftian horrors, guide the ships entrusted to you through the abyss, and don’t let the shadows consume you.

Static Dread Cinematic Trailer
Static Dread Gameplay Trailer

Train Valley Origins is the latest entry in the delightful train simulation franchise. Return to the series’ roots, solving brain-teasing challenges, controlling traffic flow, managing switches, optimizing railway networks, and more to ensure your cargo reaches its destination on time and in one piece! With over 100 increasingly complex levels featuring ten historical periods and locations, 24 unique trains, a colorful art style, and built-in level editor to share your creations, Train Valley Origins is the perfect game for rail fans of all stripes, as well as players who love to think strategically. Choo-choo!

Train Valley Origins Trailer

Wishlist Static Dread and Train Valley Origins on Steam today and check both games out today!

To learn more about Polden and the games in their publishing line-up, visit polden.gg, or join their Discord community.

About Polden

Polden Publishing is an indie game publisher dedicated to helping talented creators connect with their audience. We provide transparent, honest, and data-driven support, empowering developers to bring their unique visions to life. To find out more, visit polden.gg.

CRITICAL REFLEX & WRONG ORGAN’S MOUTHWASHING MARKS 500,000 UNITS SOLD ON STEAM

The award-winning psychological-horror game will come to PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch later this year!

THE TULPAR – Feb. 19, 2025 – Publisher CRITICAL REFLEX and developer Wrong Organ are thrilled to share that over 500,000 souls have joined the Tulpar’s doomed crew in Mouthwashing, the acclaimed psychological-horror experience, since it first launched on Steam in September 2024. But the good news doesn’t end there: Corporate has revealed that Mouthwashing will debut on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch later this year!

Physical editions of the game will also be available on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. Fans can sign up on Fangamer to be notified when pre-orders go live.

With an 87 score on Metacritic and Overwhelmingly Positive user reviews on Steam, Mouthwashing has taken home numerous honors since its release, including Best Narrative and Players’ Choice at the Horror Game Awards, as well as Best Hidden Gem at the New York Game Awards.

Looking for more memorable experiences from Wrong Organ? How Fish Is Made – the studio’s original, free-to-play, surreal narrative experience, which also has Overwhelmingly Positive reviews – has been updated with additional language support, including Brazilian, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Spanish (LATAM), Traditional Chinese, Turkish, and Ukrainian.

Mouthwashing is available on Steam and How Fish Is Made is free to download on Steam! For more information, follow CR Channel on Twitter, and join the CR Channel Discord community for the latest news, engaging discussions and more.

About Wrong Organ

Wrong Organ is a game development studio with a focus on creating low-poly horror games. The founding team met at Futuregames, a Swedish game development education organization. They collaborated on various projects, eventually releasing one called How Fish Is Made. Towards the end of their education, the team decided to establish Wrong Organ, with the intention to continue creating similar games.

About CRITICAL REFLEX

CRITICAL REFLEX is an indie game publishing label on a mission: find kick-ass games, make sure they’re at their best upon release, and put them in front of as many gaming fans as possible. As a publisher, we are dedicated to finding and elevating genre-blending and rule-breaking games that push the boundaries of gaming as a medium.

About CR Channel

CR Channel is the CRITICAL REFLEX publishing label focusing exclusively on indie horror.

About Fangamer

Fangamer is a merchandise company that specializes in apparel, plushes, and physical media for new and classic games, including some of the biggest indie hits of the last decade.

SPECTRE DIVIDE SEASON 1 ‘FLASHPOINT’ UPDATE AND CONSOLE VERSIONS LAUNCHES FEB 25

New Trailer Showcases Largest Update For Tactical Shooter – Including Monark Sponsor Kit, New Canal Map, Battle Pass and Much More With Sim-Launch for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 19, 2025 – Mountaintop Studios announced today that Spectre Divide will be launching on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S on February 25, as well as releasing the title’s first huge seasonal content update, ‘Flashpoint’ for all platforms. The new launch date trailer showcases a complete overhaul of the game from the group up including a new movement mechanic – Sprint, new economy & loadout system, a new sponsor kit, a new map, a battle pass with new cosmetics, and much more coming to the tactical 3v3 shooter next week. Furthermore, cross-platform online multiplayer is now confirmed between PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

To commemorate the console release and the launch of the Season 1 ‘Flashpoint’ update, Mountaintop Studios will have a limited-time, promotional giveaway featuring the Cyberlord melee! This deadly new melee weapon will be free to all players that jump in and play Spectre Divide on February 25 but only for the first 48 hours!

Spectre Divide is a free-to-play 3v3 tactical shooter currently available for Windows PC via Steam, and will be launching on February 25 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

About Mountaintop Studios

Mountaintop is a small, independent, fully-remote studio comprised of industry veterans from around the world, looking to evolve the tactical shooter genre. The team is comprised of developers from major shooter titles including Counter-Strike, Valorant, Apex Legends, Halo, Overwatch and Battlefield. Check out the studio’s official website here.

Final Launch Trailer Released! Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog Launches Globally Today!

SHANGHAI – February 19, 2025 – Publisher Astrolabe Games is excited to announce the global release of the sci-fi visual novel Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog, developed by Space Colony Studios from Wales, on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch today.

To celebrate the official release of the game, a brand-new final launch trailer has been released, offering players an exciting glimpse into this exciting interstellar adventure.

Additionally, the physical edition of the game will be released simultaneously, courtesy of publishing partners PM Studios Inc. in North America and Meridiem in Europe, available for purchase via retail channels.

About the Game

Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is a visual novel adventure in the spirit of classic PC-9800 titles. Featuring a fully-colored palette as well as vintage green screen options, Space Colony Studios strives to create an “era-accurate” game that exudes retro vibes in every way, from the text to the visual effects. 

With over 300,000 words of text, the game delivers an immersive narrative experience that draws players into a classic 80s sci-fi adventure. As the Jovian patrol ship ventures into the depths of space, players will find themselves unraveling a gripping mystery. With rich branching storylines, engaging pacing, vibrant characters, and a distinctive artistic style, Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog offers a journey that feels straight out of a retro sci-fi classic with modern features.

Highlights from the Launch Trailer

The newly released launch trailer offers a thrilling look at the game’s core gameplay, plot highlights, and gorgeous pixel animations. From intense space battles to heartfelt crew interactions, the dynamic visuals and evocative soundtrack heighten anticipation for the game’s release.

Multi-Platform Support and Portable Optimization

Built on a highly-customized and optimized Ren’Py 8.X engine, Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog has been finely tuned for each platform to ensure a seamless experience. The game is also Steam Deck Verified with Cloud Save enabled, offering smooth gameplay on PC & Steam Deck, PlayStation 5/4, and Nintendo Switch. Whether players prefer console immersion or on-the-go gaming, Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is optimized for both home and portable play.

Multilingual Support and Additional Content to Enjoy

To bring this epic space adventure to a global audience, the developers and publishing team have worked tirelessly alongside linguists from around the world to present Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog in multiple languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (console versions).

For players looking to immerse themselves even further in the game’s universe, optional DLCs will be available, featuring a 22-track original soundtrack and a 15-page digital art book.

Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is out now for PlayStation®5, PlayStation4 and Nintendo Switch alongside a special boxed Starship Edition for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch in Europe.  

About Space Colony Studios

Based in Wales, Space Colony Studios is a collection of independent artists, writers and developers working together to create the Stories from Sol anthology of games; a multi part, narrative focused series created to express our love of old school anime, retro sci-fi and interactive storytelling.

About Astrolabe Games 

Astrolabe Games is a global video game publisher that proudly strives to “align the stars” for talented developers worldwide, assisting them in realizing their creative visions and delivering fun, unique, and diverse gaming experiences across all platforms.

About Meridiem

We are Meridiem, a video game publisher and distributor in love with its culture, which we protect and pass on in order to preserve it. We do this by fostering talent through investment in independent projects with potential, bringing back classic titles, promising indies and AAA games while continuing to support the physical format.

Pacific Drive Hits Top Gear With 1 Million Copies Sold

Pacific Drive‘s biggest expansion pack coming soon

LONDON (Feb. 19, 2025) – Ironwood Studios, founded in 2019, today announced its debut title, Pacific Drive, has sold over 1 million copies worldwide within its first year. This milestone marks a major achievement for the indie developer, which has a team of less than 20 staff. Pacific Drive has resonated with players thanks to its intense gameplay, compelling narrative and atmospheric soundtrack, earning it a reputation as one of the most immersive and original gaming experiences in recent years. 

Since launching Feb. 22, 2024, Pacific Drive has received widespread acclaim from critics, had its rights acquired to develop a TV show by James Wan (Saw, Fast and Furious 7, The Conjuring) and been acknowledged for multiple awards. Award nominations include four BAFTA longlist nods (Debut Game, Game Design, Narrative and New IP), a Game Developers Choice nomination for Best Debut and an IGF Awards nomination for Excellence in Design. It also secured wins for Best Gameplay at the BIG Festival Awards at Gamescom LATAM and Best Music at The Indie Game Awards 2024. 

Ironwood Studios has supported Pacific Drive with three free content updates and cosmetic DLC packs, with the game’s fourth and most substantial update set to launch soon. Pacific Drive is available for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. To find out more, visit: https://www.pacificdrivegame.com/

About Ironwood Studios

Since its founding in 2019, Ironwood Studios has been hard at work on Pacific Drive and are extremely proud to be working with PlayStation to bring it to life. The team’s passion stems from a love of road trips and the relationship between the driver and the car, always dreaming about surreal worlds and the Pacific Northwest – two things that feature prominently in the game. Ironwood’s goal is to create games that inspire players to tell their own stories, with systems that work together to create unexpected and unique experiences.   

About Kepler Interactive

Kepler Interactive is a video game company and creative studio headquartered in London. With games like Pacific Drive, Sifu, Rematch and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kepler curates its partnerships with developers worldwide to showcase some of the newest and most brilliant ideas in gaming that combine experimental game design with unique art direction.   Alongside its game portfolio, Kepler’s creative studio seeks to bring games to life in areas such as art, fashion, music, architecture and design through development of lifestyle products and collaborations with artists like fashion designer Robyn Lynch. Kepler explores the creative spaces that inspire games and the people who make them – challenging perspectives and elevating the medium to a new level. 

Debug Indie Game Awards 2025 Nominees Announced

Hosted by Josh Strife-Hayes, the Ceremony Will Be Streamed Live on Twitch and YouTube
February 21, 2025

Norwich, 19 February 2025 – The Debug Indie Game Awards, the premier celebration of indie gaming excellence now in its second year, is thrilled to announce the nominees for 2025. Taking place at Metronome in Nottingham on February 21, 2025 at 20:00 GMT, this year’s event will honour groundbreaking achievements in independent game development across multiple categories.

The event will be hosted by renowned streamer and gaming personality Josh Strife-Hayes, bringing his signature insight and humour to the ceremony. For those unable to attend in person, the awards will be streamed live on Twitch and YouTube, ensuring that indie gaming fans worldwide can be part of the excitement.

Nominees for the 2025 Debug Indie Game Awards:

Best Soundtrack

  • A Park Full of Cats
  • Drug Dealer Simulator 2
  • Gatekeeper
  • Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island
  • Turbo Kid
  • Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom

Best UK Indie

  • Crow Country
  • Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island
  • Paper Trail
  • Sociable Soccer 25
  • Sorry We’re Closed
  • Valley Peaks

Best VR Game

  • Airspace Defender
  • Arcade Paradise VR
  • DIG VR
  • On Point
  • Solara One
  • Wall Town Wonders

Free Play Award

  • A Park Full of Cats
  • ColorCoordination
  • Feud
  • Pixelitos
  • Please, Touch The Artwork 2
  • Project Shoreline

ICYMI Award (Recognizing previously overlooked gems)

  • A Hat in Time
  • Little Misfortune
  • Loop Gero
  • Rivals of Aether
  • Sable
  • Tinykin

Innovation & Creativity

  • Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure
  • Death of the Reprobate
  • Harold Halibut
  • Paper Trail
  • Rusty’s Retirement
  • SCHiM

Award for Mental Health (Games promoting mental health awareness and well-being)

  • [Bober Bros] The Hole
  • Back Then
  • I’ll be Brave, Tomorrow
  • Spiral
  • Spirit City: Lofi Sessions
  • The Bear – A Story from the World of Gra

Most Anticipated

  • Axyz
  • Cairn
  • Crescent County
  • Dungeon Rampage Remake
  • Promise Mascot Agency
  • Vaporwave Pinball

Best Physical Release

  • A Little to the Left: Extra Tidy Edition
  • Cassette Beasts Deluxe Edition
  • Escape Team
  • Inspector Waffles Early Days
  • PlateUp!
  • VED

Retro World Award (Celebrating games inspired by retro aesthetics and mechanics)

  • Courier
  • Dragonyhm
  • FLEA!2
  • Goodboy Galaxy
  • Kudzu
  • Roguecraft

Subscribers’ Choice Award (Voted for by the Debug community)

  • Animal Well
  • Gori: Cuddly Carnage
  • Pacific Drive
  • Paper Trail
  • Thank Goodness You’re Here!
  • The Plucky Squire

Best Voice Acting

  • 1000xRESIST
  • Closer the Distance
  • Farewell North
  • Still Wakes the Deep
  • The Holy Gosh Darn
  • Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina)

Award for Accessibility (Recognizing outstanding accessibility features)

  • Another Crab’s Treasure
  • Botany Manor
  • Elsie
  • Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island
  • Pine Hearts
  • Seasonspree

Best Art Direction

  • #Blud
  • Harold Halibut
  • Puzzles for Clef
  • SCHiM
  • Sorry We’re Closed
  • Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom

Best Gameplay

  • Arco
  • Buckshot Roulette
  • DROVA – Forsaken Kin
  • Gori: Cuddly Carnage
  • Shady Knight
  • Shapez 2

Best Narrative

  • 1000xRESIST
  • Closer the Distance
  • Copycat
  • Farewell North
  • Mouthwashing
  • Two Falls (Nishu Takuatshina)

Best New Studio

  • BerserkBoy Games
  • Halftone Gaming
  • Hilltop Studios
  • Not Suspicious
  • Slow Bros
  • Whalestork

Best Sound Design

  • Botany Manor
  • Hollowbody
  • Lynked: Banner of the Spark
  • Solara One
  • Still Wakes the Deep
  • The Operator

Join Us for the Celebration!
With an exciting lineup of indie showcases, insightful developer talks, and the highly anticipated awards ceremony, the Debug Indie Game Awards 2025 promises to be a landmark event for the indie gaming community.

Watch Live!
📅 Date: February 21, 2025
📍 Location: Metronome, Nottingham
📺 Streaming on: Twitch & YouTube

Tickets are available now at www.debugawards.com.

TRANSFORM YOUR ROOM INTO A FANTASY RPG ADVENTURE IN MYTHIC REALMS, LAUNCHING MARCH 13 ON META QUEST

Discover epic new bosses, weapons and gameplay while building your kingdom in this exciting mixed-reality roguelite RPG

WORCESTER, Mass. – Feb. 19, 2025 –Petricore, the independent gaming studio celebrating over a decade of XR and game development innovation, today announced that Mythic Realms, its mixed-reality roguelite fantasy role-playing game, will release on March 13, 2025, on Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. Mythic Realms transforms your room into a colorful RPG world where you get to physically play out an epic adventure. Mythic Realms is available to pre-order now on the Meta Store with a 10% bonus discount for $17.99.

Watch the Mythic Realms Release Date & Updated Gameplay Preview

Mythic Realms lets you experience adventure like never before, seamlessly blending your reality with an exciting fantasy universe teeming with incredible creatures that can climb on your furniture and even emerge from your walls. Embark on an immersive quest through a variety of unique environments like caves and forests, brought to life with playful character and art design.

With the power of Meta Quest, you’ll battle mighty foes and bosses, gather vital resources, unlock new weapons, improve your character, and return home to expand your kingdom with each play session. Every expedition is unique, letting you choose how you want to play the adventure. It’ll take every bit of savvy, skill and energy to uncover the mystery between the collision of two worlds and grow the realm to its full potential. Become the hero, journey through imaginative lands, gather allies, battle room-sized creatures, and help your kingdom flourish with each thrilling expedition!

Key Features

  • Embark on Immersive Roguelite Expeditions in Mixed Reality: Seamlessly blend your reality with a mythical realm, transforming your space into a variety of fantasy environments. Embark on unique expeditions in which you choose whether you’d like to engage in combat, gathering and more!
  • Grow a Kingdom in Vibrant Virtual Reality: Meet a charming cast of characters, take on  dangerous quests, bring resources back to your kingdom, and develop new gear to prepare for your next adventure. Experience a vibrant world brought to life with bright colors and classic fantasy style in the comfort of your very own room.
  • Epic Room-Scale Battles & Bosses: Take on enemies designed for mixed reality that move around your space, climb on furniture and hide inside your walls. Brave awesome full-room boss fights that take over your space and put your skills to the ultimate test, like a ferocious dragon that breathes fire down into your room!
  • A Variety of Classes & Weapons to Discover: Play as a knight, ranger or mage, wielding nine unique weapons, including bows, staves, swords, claws, shuriken, wands and more. Upgrade your arsenal during each expedition to unlock even greater potential.

About Petricore

Founded in 2015, Petricore is an independent gaming studio specializing in emerging technologies and game development. The studio has created original IPs and collaborated on digital projects across platforms such as Meta, Apple Vision Pro, and Pico. Intent on pushing the boundaries of immersive gaming, Petricore also supports clients in porting games to new platforms, ensuring seamless transitions and optimized experiences. For more information, please visit PetricoreGames.com.

Cosmo D announces Moves of the Diamond Hand, a surreal narrative RPG heading to PC this year

Demo available now; explore a dubby jazz-noir mystery in Cosmo D’s grandest title to date

Brooklyn, NYC, United States – February 19, 2025 – Award-winning indie developer Cosmo D Studios is today pleased to announce Moves of the Diamond Hand – a brand new first-person narrative RPG set in a surreal dystopian jazz-drenched city.

The game will launch for PC, as a multi-chapter title into Steam Early Access – with the first full chapter of the game available as a free demo today. The demo will also be a participating title in Steam Next Fest, which begins next week.

Moves of the Diamond Hand builds upon the mechanics of Cosmo D’s previous game, the award-winning Betrayal At Club Low (Seumas McNally Grand Prize and Nuovo Award at the IGF Awards 2023), but is much grander in scope – delivering deeper dice-driven gameplay, a richer, more mysterious narrative and plenty of player choice and consequence. It evokes a feel of a multi-session tabletop RPG experience, with all player stats represented as dice; offering tons of opportunities for drama and strategy.

Set within the uncanny streets Off-Peak City, Moves of the Diamond Hand will see players on a quest to become a part of the legendary Circus X – an actual circus and artist crew of the highest caliber – in a bid to mint their destiny. However, Circus X isn’t hiring and there’s plenty of people who also want a piece of their magic (and money). To become part of this elite crew, players will need to figure out a way in. Sure, they’ll find leads, but they’ll also find trouble…

As they explore the neighborhood, players will meet a cast of odd characters, each with their own agendas, perspectives, and secrets; slowly becoming entangled in the strangest Mayoral election in the city’s history. One of the candidates isn’t even a real person, he’s the clone of a Mayor from a hundred years ago! Furthermore, someone called The Diamond Hand is playing all sides against one another. No one knows who they are or why they’re causing trouble. Players will have to decide if they are a potential collaborator, or a pawn in The Diamond Hand’s game?

Moves of the Diamond Hand is the culmination of Cosmo D’s previous work, a statement of intent going forward and his grandest title to date. As such, the game will be split into four chapters, each of which offering a few hours of playtime.

Chapter One is free for all to experience and now available to download via Steam. Chapter Two will go on sale in mid-2025 and mark the beginning of the Early Access period. Chapters Three and Four will follow in late 2025 and early 2026, respectively.

Anyone who purchases the game during the Early Access period will gain access to all released content as soon as it’s ready. Pricing and further information on future chapters will be announced at a later date. Dates given are development targets and are subject to change.

Moves of the Diamond Hand Features

  • A Full Embrace of the Spirit of Tabletop RPG Gaming – Your stats are all represented as dice. These dice offer opportunities for drama and strategy. Items are dice. Conditions are dice. Disguises are dice. These dice are all customizable in a myriad of different ways.
  • A Tight Narrative Full of Twists and Turns – Explore a dubby jazz noir mystery. You, along with your dice, will determine how it all plays out, right up to the very end.
  • Choices and Consequences Aplenty – Three very different mayoral candidates offer stark points of view and personality. But their race for The Key to the City is as close as it gets.
  • A City of Personalities – Odd characters, each with their own agendas, perspectives, and secrets, await your arrival. Some of them might have connections to previous Cosmo D games, but knowledge of those games is not required.
  • A Vibe Like No Other – Cosmo D games put a premium on head-nodding music and thick atmosphere. Moves of the Diamond Hand continues to elevate this approach.
  • A Collaborative, Transparent Approach to Release – Starting with Chapter One, all players will have access to a bug reporting and feedback menu in-game. Bug fixes, balance adjustments and quality of life improvements will be ongoing and continuous.

Moves of the Diamond Hand is scheduled to launch into PC Early Access later this year. Chapter One is available in its entirety today as a demo via Steam, where you can also wishlist the game.

For more information on Cosmo D Studios and Moves of the Diamond Hand, please visit the official website.

About Cosmo D Studios

Cosmo D is a game designer based in New York City, with a background in cello performance and music composition. One rainy night in June 2013, he was struck by a car while crossing the street and found himself unable to play or make music for several months.

While convalescing, he took it upon himself to learn the Unity Engine. The result was Off-Peak, released in 2015. A homage to Cosmo D’s home city of New York, as well as a commentary on the commodification of art and music in the urban space, Off-Peak gained a cult following, with hordes of press nods, let’s plays on YouTube, and a fanbase eagerly awaiting the follow-up.

With assistance from NYU Game Center’s Incubator program, publisher Alliance Digital Media, as well as the New York game development scene at large, Cosmo D released a sequel, The Norwood Suite, in October 2017. Building on the momentum from this release Cosmo D released Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 in Spring of 2020, the award-winning Betrayal at Club Low in Fall 2022, and is now developing Moves of the Diamond Hand – his biggest project to date.

SelectaPlay Announces PlayStation 5 Physical Edition for Antro 

Play to the rhythm of urban music in a thrilling adventure full of action, puzzles and 2.5D platforming

Barcelona, Spain – 19 February, 2025. Publisher SelectaPlay and developer Gatera Studio are thrilled to announce a physical PlayStation 5 Edition of their exciting 2.5D rhythm-action puzzle platformer Antro alongside the digital release on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X. 

This visually striking rhythm-action puzzle platformer will excite fans with its fast-paced gameplay, intriguing story and thumping urban music soundtrack as they traverse the underground metropolis of Antro. The PlayStation 5 physical edition will not only include the full version of the game on disc, but will also draw gamers deeper into the world of Antro with a beautifully created artbook containing illustrations from the game. 

Fans of physical releases can pre-order the PlayStation 5 edition from specialist retail stores now! Check local stockists for pricing and availability.  

About Antro

After The Collapse, only 1% of humankind survived and was forced to take refuge underground. Under the old city of Barcelona stands Antro, a dirty and dark hole divided into geographical strata. The inhabitants of the lowest levels fight for survival by working forced labour, while the ones in the higher levels rule over the new underground world. 

Antro’s government has become a totalitarian system, handing power over to a corporation based on technological overproduction and the automation of sectors known as La Cúpula. Freedom of speech has been censored, art and music are forbidden, and a rebellion seems to be coming to life inside the den in which they’re living.

Journey through the most remote places in the underground metropolis of Antro, and join the protagonist, Nittch, as you embark on a mission to deliver a package to a mysterious, unknown recipient. While you’re at it, how about overthrowing the totalitarian government of La Cúpula? 

Explore Antro to the rhythm of hip hop, drill, R&B, and electronic music, and move around the city overcoming obstacles in your way, be it by resolving puzzles or traversing the environment using parkour. But be prepared to run at full speed, as the pursuits in Antro are plentiful and both you and the scenario will move in synchrony with the music. But remember: the enemy is always lurking.

PC gamers can now download a free demo of Antro from Steam.  

About Gatera Studio

Founded in 2022 in Barcelona, Gatera Studio is born from the drive to represent urban culture in videogames from a rebellious and socially aware perspective. It starts its activity with the development of ANTRO, a puzzle rhythm 2.5D platformer game. Currently it has the collaboration of a multidisciplinary team composed of developers, 2D and 3D designers, illustrators, artists and music producers, writers and marketing professionals.

About SelectaPlay

SelectaPlay is SelectaVisión’s video games publishing branch. The company works with talented studios on unique video games and helps them publish their titles in both physical and digital formats worldwide.

About SelectaVisión

SelectaVisión is a media entertainment distributor company founded in 1984. Based in Spain, SelectaVisión’s catalogue includes anime and live-action feature films, TV shows, and movies. Publishing both anime classics and the latest Japanese productions since 1997, SelectaVisión has built a long relationship with fan-favourite Japanese producers and distributors, becoming the major publisher of anime content for Spanish audiences.