It’s been a long time since Konami provided fans of the Castlevania franchise with a new game to play, and much longer still since it dove back into the classic formula of linear-focused side-scrolling action-platforming gameplay. Luckily, other developers have stepped up in the meantime with Castlevania-inspired games of their own, and now Inti Creates has announced that it’s diving back into that well with a brand-new IP called Grim Guardians: Demon Purge.
Inti Creates is a longtime veteran when it comes to 2D action-platformers, having developed titles like Mega Man Zero, Azure Striker Gunvolt, and Blaster Master Zero, to name a few. And the Japanese developer has also dabbled in classic Castlevania-style gameplay as well with 2018’s Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and its 2020 sequel. These spin-off titles of ArtPlay’s Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night offered Castlevania fans a fresh homage to the franchise’s pre-Metroidvania era, a trend that looks set to continue with Grim Guardians.
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge will let players control sisters Shinobu and Maya Kamizono, who return to their school to find a demonic castle in its place. From the initial gameplay shown in the reveal trailer, the old-school influence is on full display in the gothic pixel-based environments, the monstrous enemies, and the abilities the two protagonists use against them.
That said, the game will add its own wrinkles to the classic Castlevania formula. In addition to being able to swap between the two sisters on the fly–allowing them to utilize Shinobu’s submachine gun and Maya’s origami-based attacks as needed– players will have the option to control both of them at the same time via two-player co-op. Inti Creates also states that they’ll be able to take advantage of “special actions” in co-op, as shown in the trailer when one player jumps off the other to reach otherwise inaccessible ledges.
Aside from co-op, a few other features have been teased. The game will include a Style System that provides players with “extensive difficulty options,” and Inti Creates states that there will be “unique changes on repeat plays,” which should give players incentive to hop back in after the credits roll.
When they’ll be able to, however, has yet to be revealed. No release window has been given for Grim Guardians, which makes sense. Inti Creates has stressed that the project has only just begun development, so it’s too soon to say with any real confidence when it might be done. That said, the studio has promised that, above all else, players can look forward to the “quality and challenge" that Inti Creates is known for when the game eventually comes out.
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.