The original Gal Guardians: Demon Purge is a fantastic Castlevania-style co-op platformer, so it's great news that it'll soon have a sequel. Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark will arrive on consoles and PC in March - not too far from now! What's more, PQUBE has released a free demo on Steam that allows players to experience the opening of the game and its 2-player local co-op support.
The demo opens with our pair of protagonists, Misha and Kirika, returning to the demon castle where they work. When they arrive, they discover that their castle is on fire! A dying fellow servant of the demon lord Maxim informs the twin demon maids that the castle has been raided by a competing army of devils. The heroines will have to work together to clear the castle and save their beloved lord!
As expected, the sequel shows off pixel-perfect graphics, catchy music, and an interesting narrative. The demo supports 2-player drop in, drop out co-op, so it's easy to deal another player in at any time. When playing alone, the gamer can swap between both heroines at will. One fights with melee weapons and the other uses guns, just like the human heroines of the first game. One new gameplay aspect is that enemies can now drop equipment (similar to Castlevania: SOTN and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night), which should make for a more customizable gameplay experience.
If this delicious Steam Deck-compatible demo is anything to come by, the Gal Guardians sequel will be one of the best action platformers of the year. We'll find out when it arrives on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam on March 27, 2025. Physical versions for PlayStation 5 and Switch will arrive at a later date.