Over the weekend, the Brazilian developer Ludic Studios gave an update on its in-development Steam shoot 'em up Wind Runners as part of #screenshotsaturday, and it looks set to be a modern take on classic 2D dogfighting games like Wings of Fury and Jetstrike.
Wings of Fury, in case you're unfamiliar, was a World War II shoot 'em up that was originally released by Broderbund for the Apple II in 1987, and was later ported over to various other machines and handhelds. Jetstrike, meanwhile, was a free-scrolling action shoot 'em up published for the Commodore Amiga, Amiga CD-32, and MS-DOS back in 1994, that saw players taking control of a bunch of different military aircraft to complete a set of challenging missions.
Wind Runners looks to be much in the same spirit as both of those classic titles, albeit with a bunch of new roguelike elements (such as customization and upgrade options) being thrown into the mix, alongside a much more futuristic setting and theme.
In the upcoming game, players will step into the boots of a "Wind Runner" — a member of a rebellion squad — who must fight against a series of "giant metal beasts, scattered throughout the planets of Zarah Igna system" to end the reign of a tyrannical power named The Realm.
The game was first announced almost five years ago in 2019 but its developer recently revealed that it had hit some major milestones in its development, with all of the systems and foundational elements now being fully complete and operational.
It's still currently unknown when it will be released, and if any other platforms are planned, but we'll try to keep you updated once more news is available. For now, you can wishlist the game to support the developers and express your interest.