March 31, Cologne – Headup announced that Outbuddies DX, a pixelated 2D adventure game in the spirit of the classic ‘Metroid’ games, is available now on the PlayStation®Store for $17.99 (€17.99, £14.99).

After the PC release of “Outbuddies” in 2019, the developer Julian Laufer used the feedback from countless Metroid-enthusiasts and core speedrunners to improve the game in all respects to create a vastly improved version of his passionate game, which was now released on PS4.

Fans of the Metroidvania genre can look forward to a feature-packed adventure with several hours of exploration. Outbuddies DX takes place in a huge interconnected world filled with environmental hazards, hostile creatures and gigantic bosses. And it adds two special features: you explore the world with the help of your ever-trustworthy robot sidekick who scouts and manipulates the surroundings through hacking, scanning, and telekinesis. Furthermore, the local co-op mode allows a second player to control that sidekick with an expanded tool set, perfectly suited for co-operational speedruns.

On your own or together, you’ll discover various ancient weapon systems and gear upgrades to battle through a gigantic sunken labyrinth with a non-linear gear-based progression system for both combat and level-layouts.

Outbuddies DX‘ unique atmosphere is supported by OGRE’s thematic soundtrack written as an ode to the 16-bit Mega Drive/Genesis era.

For more information, tune in to the game’s PS4 Trailer, check out the PlayStation®Store or follow Headup on Twitter or Discord.

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.

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
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!