Hellish pixel platformer Valfaris goes 2.5D in forthcoming sequel

Valfaris was a sumptuous metal-themed 2D platformer with some of the most impressive pixel art this side of Owlboy. The work of Slain studio Steel Mantis, it was a bonkers modern take on classic action-platformers like Shadow of the Beast. Now it’s getting a sequel called Valfaris: Mecha Therion that mixes things up a bit.

The most obvious change is the art style: this is a 2.5D platformer and character sprites have been replaced by full 3D polygonal models. The world itself is 2.5D too, though you’ll still be navigating from a sidelong view (with the occasional artful camera shift). Also, this doesn’t look as much like a platformer per se, more of a horizontally scrolling shmup. This time protagonist Therion is commandeering an “advanced machine of death and destruction” (in other words, a mech) so it’s less about moving between platforms, and more about gliding.