Gamebox 2.0: Games of February 2025
There was plenty to love this month in video games, including the latest Steam Next Fest and many new releases we checked out. We dove underwater for the return of Amiga shooter X-Out, led astronauts to safety on the Moons of Darsalon, hunted bounties in the demo for Neon Inferno, entered the deadly reality show of Kiborg, and felt the rhythm in the RPG Everhood 2. Check out all the games we played below in this Gamebox 2.o.
X-Out Resurfaced (Zach): Originally released in 1990 on the Amiga, X-Out is back from ININ and Ziggurat in a rebuilt, modern version X-Out Resurfaced. A side-scrolling shooter, you plunge into the ocean’s depths to battle mechanical foes and horrific organic abominations of an alien invasion. The game has an incredibly unique take on lives where you purchase a fleet of submersibles, each representing a life. You can buy cheaper subs with fewer capabilities to get more lives or splurge on one super advanced sub but run the risk of getting a game over after one life. You get a certain amount of money at the start of the game, earn more through each level, and revisit the game’s shop at the end of each stage to upgrade your current subs and buy more. There’s a slew of different weapons you can add to each sub and satellites that you can buy that are similar to the Option in Gradius. Still, you can purchase satellites with specific movement patterns and enemy targetting ranges. The result is many customization options that let you craft a ship that suits your playstyle.
The levels feature tons of enemies and tight corridors that can result in an instant game over if you aren’t careful. There aren’t any power-ups while playing the levels, as everything is based on what you purchased in the store, so you don’t have to focus on specific enemies or take out every enemy. The game features wholly redone sprites compared to the original 1990 version and enhanced lighting, and it has that classic shooter look and feel. The music is also excellent. It was composed by Chris Huelsbeck, who composed the music for the original release and created six new tracks for Resurfaced. You can play the entire game co-op, and there’s also a mirror mode that reverses every stage if you’ve mastered the regular game. With its unique store mechanic and excellent gameplay, visuals, and music, X-Out Resurfaced is definitely something that shooter fans need to check out. It’s out now on PC, Switch, PS5 and Xbox.
Everhood 2 (Chris): Time and space, reality and fiction, all blur for a mind-bending journey in Everhood 2. Developed by Chris Nordgren and Jordi Roca and published by Foreign Gnomes, Everhood 2 is the follow-up to the indie hit Everhood, which first introduced gamers to a surreal, rhythm-based RPG adventure inspired by games like Legend of Zelda, Mother, and Undertale. As a fan of games with creative rhythm-based action, I was intrigued by the combat mechanics. With psychedelic visuals, a catchy soundtrack, and a twisty narrative, Everhood left a unique impression among fans. The premise of Everhood 2 aims to take the weirdness up a notch with a new plot, more overloaded visuals, and new additions to the combat system for a more tactical experience.
Instead of following a set protagonist like in the original game, the player steps into the lead in Everhood 2, making it an accessible entry point for newcomers. At the start, the game will ask a series of questions to determine the color of the player’s soul and will create their avatar. From that point on, a mysterious Raven serves as the player’s guide, tasking them with defeating the mighty Mind Dragon. Urging them to explore multiple realms, the Raven encourages them to gather strength and courage to complete their quest.
The universe of Everhood is packed with unusual inhabitants. Many are quirky misfits or cartoonishly vile or cryptic enigmas. Speaking to NPCs gives a better clue to the ongoing struggles within the universe and where the player fits in the narrative. Like Undertale, the player’s choice in the game and their reactions to others will have significant consequences, some of which will have a sudden impact or others have long-term effects that won’t be easily seen.
But when words fail to convince, or a hostile warrior wants to settle a feud, it’s time for the player to find the beat for a battle! Everhood 2’s combat occurs on a grid, where different color symbols, similar to notes on a music sheet, represent the enemies’ attacks. Based on the symbols, the player can parry or dodge. The player must parry matching symbols to collect and build an attack. The more symbols the player can combo, the stronger the attack will become; however, if the player collects a different symbol, the combo will reset. Similarly, taking a different enemy attack or colliding with a symbol also resets the combo, so learning to avoid and dodge is a crucial mechanic to master. Battles will quickly turn the grid into a chaotic bullet hell scene, where no lane will be safe for too long. It’ll take fast hands and perfect timing to pull off significant attacks against bosses.
Some helpful talismans and weaponry that the player can find and equip will give them a slightly better edge in battles, but no amount of equipment is going to replace the timing skills needed to attack. Luckily, the game can change the difficulty any time, making selections easier or harder for an added challenge.
While I enjoyed Everhood 2’s challenging gameplay and fun character designs, Everhood 2 is made for a specific audience. I was hooked on uncovering the story and seeing the next trippy sight between rounds of rhythm battles. The game’s surreal commentary about morality and the meaning of life can be bog players looking for challenging gameplay, but I felt it gave the game its engaging tone.
Everhood 2 is a fun experience if you enjoy obscure narratives and dark humor. Fans of Undertale can easily find something to like in the Everhood series and laugh at the clever subverting tropes. The rhythmic combat feels rewarding to tackle and has a great soundtrack to tap along with it, so battles are not dull and repetitive, even if you have to repeat a few battles from making mistakes repeatedly. If you are a fan of the original Everhood, then Everhood 2 is a must-get for a solid follow-up experience, even with the new narrative direction. For casual gamers, check out the demo before you experience a psychedelic adventure you did not know you needed. I’m happy I did, and I only needed to get the beat. Everhood 2 will be released for Steam and Switch on March 4th. You can play the demo on Steam here.
Moons of Darsalon (Zach): Much like X-Out Resurfaced, Moons of Darsalon is also a throwback to classic PC gaming, but it’s a new release from Dr. Kucho! Games. Several missions to mine the Moons of Darsalon have gone wrong, and the “Darsanauts” are scattered across the landscapes. You lead a rescue effort and must find and get the lost Darsanauts back to their home base and protect them from the vicious alien lifeforms roaming the world. The game is inspired by games like Lemmings, where you find the Darsanauts and then have to command and lead them to safety. You can tell them to wait, follow, or move left or right. Your goal in each stage is to find all the Darsanauts and get them safely to the base at the end of the stage. The levels offer many variety and different challenges, some platforming challenges while others are gauntlets fighting off aliens. Unlike Lemmings, you have a laser rifle you can use to fight off the alien foes, and you grow an arsenal of tools that you can use, including a “terrain gun” that lets you build platforms and a jet pack to reach different parts of the map quickly.
The game has an old-school style with the presentation, making it seem like a lost computer classic from the 80s era of computer gaming. It also has a great retro sci-fi style with interstitial images between each stage and backgrounds that evoke things like HR Giger. The gameplay can sometimes be a little frantic, especially if you lead the Darsanauts into an alien attack and they get incinerated. Luckily, all of you can take a bit of a beating before dying, but you have to figure out when to keep your rescued Darsanauts in one spot and when to have them follow. You can broadcast commands to all nearby Darsanauts or aim and pinpoint a specific Darsanaut to move, which is essential in some stages to solve puzzles and progress. You also eventually get vehicles you can drive, like a tank and a dropship, which adds more variety to the stages. You are scored at the end of each stage, and there are specific challenges for each stage that you can try to unlock, like completing the stage without getting hit or completing it within a particular time frame, which adds to the replayability. Moons of Darsalon is a fun and interesting mix of action platforming and puzzle games, and if you’re a fan of games like Lemmings or Oddworld, definitely check it out on PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox.
KIBORG (Chris): In the world’s worst prison, death isn’t the end of a prison sentence. Death is a respawn point to come back stronger and ready to kill again in Sobaka Studio’s KIBORG. Dropping in time for the Steam Next Fest, the demo of KIBORG showcases just a few combat mechanics behind this action roguelite. Mixing hand-to-hand combat, gunplay, and cybernetic enhancements, KIBORG puts players into the prison jumpsuit of a convict trying to fight for their freedom in a twisted game show called The Last Ticket. Starting at the bottom of a tower structure, the player must fight and make their way to the top to escape. However, every death will send them to the beginning, but they can add new cybernetic enhancements to aid them in becoming the perfect killing machine.
Sobaka Studio first made waves with their brutal Redeemer and has since been delivering new ways to kick butt in their titles. KIBORG mashes up 3D Beat’em up mechanics and fast-paced shooting, giving the game a retro arcade feel to the combat. The gameplay opens after the player is given a few cybernetic implants that enhance specific stats to increase the player’s damage output or increase the item drop for ammo. Permanent upgrades require currency that automatically unlocks starting weaponry, health increases, etc. This allows players to develop a custom combat style, favoring specific weaponry and skills to get them further into the Last Ticket than the previous time.
The demo showed a few enemy types and combat situations in which the Last Ticket was randomized. Each run has a different layout and which cybernetic implants get rolled out, so no two runs are the same. KIBORG is a fun action title that promises to be hard-hitting but is a fair challenge for gamers looking to unleash carnage without restraint. You can check out the demo now on Steam and the full release is planned for later this year.
Neon Inferno Demo (Zach): The latest old-school throwback from publisher Retroware, the demo for Neon Inferno, was a part of this month’s Steam Next Fest. Developed by Zenovia Interactive, Neon Inferno is a side-scrolling shooter set in a dystopian New York City in 2055. Angelo and Mariana work for a crime syndicate battling for power against rival gangs and the corrupt NYPD. The pixel art is stunning, with tons of details and animations that feel modern while paying homage to the retro games that inspired it. The game has a ton of mechanics in addition to the typical run-and-gun gameplay, one of which is the “bullet time” mechanic. Each character is armed with an energy sword, which can be used for melee attacks but is, more importantly, used to deflect bullets and bombs from green enemies. You can deflect these by tapping the sword button, but if you hold the button, you can direct where that projectile will go, and the deflected projectiles are more powerful than your regular attack. The game also incorporates background shooting, similar to games like Cabal or Wild Guns, and there are times when you’ll have to face enemies in the foreground and the background.
All the mechanics are cleverly and naturally across the controller, so it never feels overwhelming, and you will quickly be deflecting bullets, shooting into the background, and dodging projectiles. The demo features a whole level as you fight through the streets and hop on a hoverbike for a high-speed battle on the highway. It’s a great taste of what the game has to offer, and if the entire game is as good as this demo section, it will be a must-play when it comes out later this year.
