One of 2023's best Castlevania-style platformers was Gal Guardians: Demon Purge from PQUBE. As such, there's a good chance that the sequel, Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark, will end up knocking our socks off this year too. We'll find out when the digital version comes along at the end of March. Physical collectors won't be left in the cold, however, because the physical PlayStation and Switch editions now have a firm June 12 release date.
Features:
- Gal*Gun-vania: Now a fully-realized Metroidvania, uncover countless combos and possibilities as you explore the Demon Realm with your two upgradeable characters.
- Revive Your Allies: Each of Maxim's vassals you find and revive will strengthen your home base, the Demon Lord's castle! As you rebuild, unlock bonus features which assist you on your quest for revenge.
- Sister Power: Kirika and Masha, the two sister maid heroines, each bring their own unique gameplay styles. One attacks with demonic guns whilst the other covers close range attacks with her whip!
- Couch and Online Co-op: Play together locally or online, each player controlling a sister, opening up countless possibilities to discover new places or defeat difficult enemies through teamwork.
- Collect and Craft: Defeating enemies and discovering chests will earn you random drops of consumable items, sub-weapons, and even passive enhancements called "Demon Relics". Use these items to unlock new special abilities needed to access new areas of the map.
- Choose your "Style": Inheriting the "Style" system of its predecessor, you can choose to play "Casual", "Veteran", or "Ultimaid" modes, available to switch between at any time with unified content across all modes.
The upgrade from Castlevania III-esque semi-linear design to full Metroidvania design should make Gal Guardians 2 vaster and even more engaging than the first game. The addition of online co-op is also extremely welcome, as more people will be able to team up and take on the evil forces of the Demon Realm. Also, the newly released intro video teases the return of the human protagonists from the first game. Will players get to play as them too, or just the new demon maids? We're looking forward to finding out!
Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark will cost $24.99 when it arrives in digital form on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam on March 27, 2025. Switch version preorders get a 10% discount. Physical preorders haven't opened yet, but June 12 is still several months away.