Valfaris looks like what might happen if Metroid’s Samus Aran decided to appear in a Ronnie James Dio video. Or maybe if a squad of Space Marines decided to take on Gwar. It’s a 2D action platformer that’s full of blood, guitars, and gross aliens. It’s coming out sometime next year, but now there’s a free demo to try.
Ben got a chance to check out Valfaris at Gamescom back in August, and he liked what he saw: tons of ridiculous guns, exploding heads, and a kind of skull-centric decorating motif. You play as the sword-wielding Therion, and your job is to figure out what happened to the space station you call home, mostly by means of various forms of violence.
There’s more than a little Metal Slug in Valfaris’ DNA, and the little time I spent with it today let me know that it’ll likely be a pretty tough slog. But the sludgy guitar riffs, neon color palette, and alien enemies who blow apart into satisfying giblets hit my nostalgia nerves in a pleasant way, so I’m looking forward to seeing more.
The demo is essentially the same bit of the game that Ben got to preview at Gamescom, and it’s free to try out right now, although it’s still in the alpha stage of development. Some Steam users have reported slow framerates, but I haven’t personally run into any technical issues so far.
If you’re interested in trying Valfaris, head over to the Steam page, where you’ll find a download button. You’ll want to do it soon, though – the free demo is only going to be available until December 31. The full game is set for release in 2019.