Today marks the Steam launch of Akatori, a true 2.5D Metroidvania that generated significant buzz within the genre community even before its release. The game is developed by Contrast Games and published by Games Harbor. Console fans will need to be a little more patient: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series versions will follow on August 12, with a Switch 2 version not announced until 2027. Ahead of launch, the game accumulated numerous wish list entries on Steam, indicating strong community interest.
What the Story is About
The story centers on Mako, a young monk raised in the Firebird Temple. Accompanied by a mysterious red bird sealed within her combat staff, she journeys through multiple interconnected worlds to save them from the so-called Amber Storms – a corrupting force that infects and disfigures all living things. On her path, Mako must traverse seven distinct biomes, each characterized by its own unique obstacles, visuals, and enemy types.
What Defines the Gameplay
Akatori intentionally adopts a modern approach with a strong focus on platforming: Mako can wall jump, glide, dash, and double jump, while combat takes place both on the ground and in the air using fast staff combos. It is precisely this combination of freedom of movement and melee combat that aims to set the game apart from more classic genre titles.
How Akatori Fits into the Genre
Metroidvanias have been experiencing a veritable boom on Steam for years: from genre icons like Hollow Knight and successes like Blasphemous to recently celebrated titles like Nine Sols, Akatori joins a long list of ambitious indie productions aiming to impress with freedom of movement, exploration, and stylized 2D visuals. Whether the game can stand up against established competition remains to be seen – initial player reactions on Steam should provide an early trend in the coming days.
From our perspective, the staggered console release is particularly interesting: while PC players can jump in immediately, console players will have to wait a week – a model increasingly adopted by smaller indie studios recently to distribute server and support load on launch day. For genre fans looking for fresh content between major Metroidvania franchises, Akatori, with its focus on fluid movement, should be a perfect fit.
Source: Gematsu, Noisy Pixel
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