Nintendo's Indie World event has wrapped, offering a satisfying look at some high quality upcoming indie games slated for release in 2021 and 2022, including Eastward and Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon. While many fans were desperately waiting for news of Hollow Knight: Silksong, another highly anticipated indie metroidvania sequel expected to be shown was Axiom Verge 2. Well, Axiom Verge fans were treated to some excellent news, as the highly anticipated sequel to the 2015 breakout metroidvania from developer Thomas Happ Games is releasing later today.
Axiom Verge first released in March 2015 for PlayStation 4, with a PC release following in May of the same year before finally ending up on Wii U and Xbox One in September 2016. The game was eventually brought to Nintendo Switch in October 2017. The game focuses on a scientist who is transported to an alien world and was developed by Thomas Happ, a developer who previously worked on titles such as NFL Street and Tiger Woods PGA Tour. The game was developed as a side project in conjunction to Happ's role as an engineer at Petroglyph Studios, with Happ developing the game on his own over the course of five years.
RELATED: 5 Metroidvania Games to Play Before Hollow Knight: Silksong
The sequel to the game, Axiom Verge 2, was announced in a December 2019 Indie World Direct hosted by Nintendo, with an intended release window of Q3 2020. In October of 2020, the game was delayed to the first half of 2021, however this release date was also delayed to Q3 2021. After all of these delays, it was finally announced in today's Indie World Direct that Axiom Verge 2 is available today. Better yet, the game is out on PlayStation 4 and PC (via the Epic Games Store) in addition to the Nintendo Switch release. The game is still set to come to PS5, however a release date for this version has not yet been announced.
The original Axiom Verge was met with much critical acclaim when it first released in 2015, ending up on many publications' "Best of 2015" lists and receiving a nomination for Best Independent Game at The Game Awards 2015. With this in mind, as reviews start to pour in over the coming weeks it is likely that Axiom Verge 2 could end up being one of the best games of the year, even in a year with the likes of Metroid Dread and Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights giving it stiff competition. That is, of course, expecting that it lives up to the lofty expectations set by the original. The game should be out on Nintendo Switch now, with the PS4 and PC versions following around 12pm PT, according to developer Thomas Happ.
Axiom Verge 2 is now available on PC, PS4, and Switch. A PS5 version is in development.
MORE: All The New Indie Games PlayStation Announced Yesterday