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Ikarus is a new pixel art shooter from developer Magical Something and publisher Tiny Dragon Games. The game leans away from the traditional tropes of the genre by adding a deckbuilder roguelike element that adds some deeper strategy to the usual skill-based arcade style. Ikarus has a new Steam demo for retro gamers to try before a full release on Steam later this year. The demo is also available on the game’s Itch.io page.
According to the developer, “Ikarus fuses the lightning-fast, skill-based chaos of classic arcade shoot ’em ups with the deep strategy of a rogue-like deck-builder”. Players take control of an ancient guardian who is on a mission to rescue the Sun-Goddess. Each level has its own theme and waves of enemies as well as boss battles. Players will make choices along the way that will decide what weapon loadout they design, and this certainly will create a unique experience and hopefully lots of variety.
Each section is broken into two parts: firstly, the player decides on what cards to use for that wave of enemies, then executes the battle plan in a more typical arcade fashion. There are also permanent upgrades to apply to the craft that are seen in other deckbuilder titles of recent times.
