Wednesday morning's Nintendo Indie Showcase was filled with exciting upcoming indie games coming to the Nintendo Switch. Of special intrigue, however, was a newly announced game made in partnership with Konami. Getsu Fuma Den: Undying Moon is a fast-paced 2D action game with unique strategic elements based on a 1987 Nintendo game. Getsu Fuma Den isn't a major Konami brand like Castlevania might be, but it could be the next best thing. It may also be a step closer to a traditional Castlevania game than fans realize.
Getsu Fuma Den: Undying Moon's announcement trailer covers three key areas of the game in two minutes. The first aspect of the game is movement. Getsu Fuma Den: Undying Moon does feature platforming elements, but it's largely in service of its combat. Still, players will leap and roll through a Metroidvania-style map. Second is Getsu Fuma Den: Undying Moon's combat, which is inspired by real-life martial arts. Players will rely heavily on timing to judge when it's best to dodge, block, and counter attacks, as well as use items and abilities to capitalize on vulnerabilities.
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The third segment of Getsu Fuma Den: Undying Moon's announcement trailer is focused on the game's bosses. It's easy to see why they receive such a focus. These bosses are epic and show a diverse range of gameplay, never mind an impressive level of Souls-inspired difficulty. Expectations have been raised for action game fans.
One last interesting aspect regarding Getsu Fuma Den: Undying Moon is its history and potential. The original Getsu Fuma Den was released in 1987 and is a largely different kind of game. However, in the years since, it has become more of a Castlevania tie-in, with certain Castlevania games featuring Getsu Fuma Den references and even bosses. Konami's partnering with indie dev GuruGuru for this project. It could be a hint at future, bigger projects, or even a test to see if GuruGuru itself is ready to take on something like Castlevania.
Getsu Fuma Den: Undying Moon releases May 13 in Early Access on Steam, with a Switch version launching in 2022.