March 17, Cologne – Headup is delighted to announce that Outbuddies DX, a pixelated 2D adventure game in the spirit of the classic ‘Metroid’, is coming to PS4 on March 31. It was created by developer Julian Laufer over the course of seven years, and first released on PC. Fans of the genre can look forward to a feature-packed adventure with several hours of exploration, deadly enemies including gigantic bosses, and a helpful and ever-trustworthy robot sidekick.

Set deep in the Ocean and infested with hostile Lovecraftian creatures as well as lethal environmental hazards, you must dash, dodge, and blast through Bahlam, a danger-filled sunken fortress of the Old Gods. By deploying the robotic unit Buddy, you manipulate and scout the surroundings through hacking, scanning and telekinesis. That way you discover various ancient weapon systems and gear upgrades to battle through a gigantic sunken labyrinth. The local co-op mode allows a second player to control Buddy with an expanded tool set, perfectly suited for co-operational speed-runs.

Outbuddies DX offers a nonlinear gear-based progression system for both combat and level-layouts. Selecting weapons from the four-tier upgradeable system, as well as memorization of attack patterns and split-second reflexes are essential to stand a chance against an onslaught of unforgiving bosses and to escape Bahlam’s hostile maze. Outbuddies DX’ unique atmosphere is supported by OGRE‘s thematic soundtrack written as an ode to the 16-bit Megadrive/Genesis era.

Based on the feedback from core-speedrunners and Metroid enthusiasts since the game’s PC release, Outbuddies DX now offers a variety of new features added to the well-received original as well as vastly improved visuals.

For more information, tune into the game’s trailer and follow Headup on Twitter or Discord for more details.

Enter Bahlam, a sunken city of the Old Gods, located deep in the South Atlantic Ocean. In the wake of a shipwreck, adventurer and maritime archaeologist Nikolay Bernstein regains consciousness 36,000 feet under the sea. He is severely wounded and unwillingly connected to a supernatural Buddy-unit. Searching for answers about his displacement, Nikolay digs deep into the lost undercity, gradually realizing an ominous presence lurking in its shadowed caverns.
Features include:

• 2D Side-scrolling ‘Metroid-like’ adventure
• Explore an open Lovecraftian fantasy labyrinth with five huge distinct areas
• Evolve characters with a non-linear gear-based progression system
• Sandbox-like freedom to develop speed-techs
• Unique drone ‘Buddy’ unit with local co-op option
• Epic and creative boss battles that stand out within the genres
• Original soundtrack by OGRE
• Optimized performance for smooth gameplay with 60 FPS throughout
• MS-DOS style pixel art with distortion-free adoptive scaling

Headup is a hybrid games publishing and development company providing players worldwide with the best content in the independent gaming sector. Established in 2009, it is active on all major platforms such as consoles, mobile devices and PC, and was awarded as “Best Publisher” at the German Developers Awards in 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2019. With over 80 million customers served on mobile and further several million players on the PC and consoles, Headup is always looking to raise awareness and commercial success for developers thinking outside the box. More information can be found at www.headupgames.com and twitter.com/headupgames.

The development of Outbuddies started as a spare time passion-project in early 2013, influenced by timeless classics of my childhood starring Super Metroid, Castlevania, Super Mario Bros., and Mega Man. The quality, depth, and acceptance of indie metroidvanias like Axiom Verge & Hollow Knight proved what can be achieved by small teams or even single persons. Those developers inspired me to allocate even more personal resources and dedication to the project so it could eventually evolve into something really special.

As a father, daytime employee, and gamer myself I loved how progression and iteration were tackled in outstanding indie platformer Celeste, so Outbuddies was designed to provide challenging and encouraging gameplay while skipping punishing throwbacks and grinding mechanics in total. I listen to feedback and I’m dedicated to support and improve the game further after release, so shoot me your feedback anytime!