If you grew up playing classic barbarian-based hack 'n' slash titles like Golden Axe and Rastan Saga and have been looking for something to scratch the same itch, then you'll likely get a kick out of Abathor — an upcoming 4-player indie action platformer from the developer Pow Pixel Games and publisher Jandu Soft.
The game is releasing next week across PC and consoles (Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC) on July 25th, and looks set to feature a beautiful pixel-art aesthetic and retro-inspired soundtrack that aims to evoke the style and sound of classic arcade titles from the '80s and '90s.
In the game, you select from one of four players from a selection that includes the barbarian Crantor, the Valkyrie Sais, the assassin Kritias, and the warlock Azaes, with your mission being to save Atlantis from monsters and win back the favour of the gods. While players can play alone in the single-player mode, the game was primarily designed to be played with friends in co-op and features an interesting mechanic that sees players compete for the most loot to earn additional improvements to their power.
Here's a description of the game's premise:
"The Atlantean civilization has angered the gods. They have sent hordes of monsters to punish Atlantis by destroying the continent. Players must cooperate and compete to save Atlantis, going through a series of challenges of increasing difficulty. In their progress, our heroes will fight against ferocious demons and primordial gods, against the living and against the dead, against flying beasts and crawling horrors. They will dodge dangers and traps and descend into chilling abysses. But they will also compete against each other for the loot and the spoils, plundering treasures and offering them to the gods to receive their favor."
You can watch a trailer of the game below. A demo is also currently available on Steam and Nintendo Switch.