You can try out Valfaris, the upcoming heavy metal sci-fi shooter, in a free demo

Valfaris looks like what might happen if Metroid’s Samus Aran decided to appear in a Ronnie James Dio video. Or maybe if a squad of Space Marines decided to take on Gwar. It’s a 2D action platformer that’s full of blood, guitars, and gross aliens. It’s coming out sometime next year, but now there’s a free demo to try. Ben got a chance to check out Valfaris at Gamescom back in August, and he liked what he saw: tons of ridiculous guns, exploding heads, and a kind of skull-centric decorating motif. You play as the sword-wielding Therion, and your job is to figure out what happened to the space station you call home, mostly by means of various forms of violence. There’s more than a little Metal Slug in Valfaris’ DNA, and the little time I spent with it today let me know that it’ll likely be a pretty tough slog. But the sludgy guitar riffs, neon color palette, and alien enemies who blow apart into satisfying giblets hit my nostalgia nerves in a pleasant way, so I’m looking forward to seeing more.