tinyBuild (publisher of games like Hello Neighbor) and developer Hungry Couch Games are hoisting the mainsail and voyaging towards Early Access with Black Skylands. Initially revealed at PAX West 2019, this top-down shooter features intricate pixel graphics and a full open-world map that goes beyond what players might expect from a 2D game. Players will follow Eva on a quest for revenge in a world split into thousands of floating islands. Her journey sees her battle back against vicious bandits that razed her family home and took her father's life.
After releasing a free prologue earlier this year, tinyBuild is now offering fans the chance to buy into the development process on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store for $19.99 USD (with a 10% discount during launch). The game already features around half of the content expected for the full release. Players can expect both aerial and ground-based combat, weapon and vehicle customization, and the ability to build out their flagship with new facilities a-la Stardew Valley. As Eva continues to dominate the competition, her influence will spread across different regions of the world, letting her gather more resources and interact with helpful locals. The developers expect that Black Skylands will remain in Early Access for at least a full year while they round out the experience and integrate player suggestions.
Piracy seems to be a common trend across a lot of games at the moment, but Black Skylands brings an ambitious scope to the table that could help it stand out. Adding layers of open-world and management onto a top-down shooter is certainly unique, especially since games with bullet-hell elements tend to repel a certain segment of players. Despite that, the two years of feedback from demos and other tests have already attracted a crowd eager to sail the skies with Eva, and they'll hopefully guide the developers towards a finished product that can blow everyone away.
Black Skylands is available now on Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store.
Source: tinyBuildGAMES/YouTube