Love the intensity of Souls-like games but hate the level-up grind? Check out Illusive Domain!
Developed by kemomimic, this upcoming 2026 title just dropped its Steam demo, and it’s a parry-lover’s dream. Unlike traditional RPGs, you start with your full moveset—no farming required. Your progress depends entirely on your ability to learn enemy patterns and time your deflections.
If you’re tired of the usual sprawling fantasy worlds and massive space epics, prepare to shrink down and get a fresh perspective on adventure. We’re talking about Buddy Bug, the cooperative 2D action roguelite that has you trading in your knight armour for a beetle’s carapace and your broadsword for a modified lighter!
What is Buddy Bug?
Developed by Wildfire Game, the studio behind Eastern Exorcist, Buddy Bug plunges players into a microscopic insect world hidden within the corners of a bustling city. You are a brave insect, like Buddy the scarab beetle, and the everyday detritus of the human world becomes your colossal arsenal and battlefield.
It’s a cooperative, rogue-lite journey where you and a friend (local or eventually online co-op) must fight for survival and territory against gangs of hostile bugs in an oppressive, yet incredibly creative, environment.
The World: Colossal Junk, Incredible Potential
Imagine a world where a thumbtack is a roadblock, a water stain is an electrical conductor, and a bottle cap is a fortified dome. That’s the visual genius of Buddy Bug. The developers have masterfully crafted a setting where scale is everything. The “Cardboard Citadel,” with its towering delivery boxes and cockroach-infested garbage piles, feels as claustrophobic and dangerous as any dark fantasy dungeon.
This isn’t just a backdrop—it’s integral to the combat.
Combat: Elemental Chaos and Ingenious Gadgets
The core of Buddy Bug lies in its exhilarating combat system, built on three key pillars:
Physics Reactions: Knockback, recoil, and terrain are crucial. Using a heavy weapon like the Pile Driver or the recoil from a modified Lighter, you can manipulate enemies and the environment.
Elemental Effects: Water, Oil, Electricity, and Fire are your tools. Smart players will use the environment to their advantage—igniting oil spills with a Lighter or conducting electricity through water stains with an electromagnetic gun creates powerful, devastating chain reactions.
Roguelite Buildcrafting: With each run, you’ll experiment with different Specialisation Classes, weapons, and a growing collection of unique, handcrafted gadgets. Combining abilities and gear is key to creating game-breaking builds.
In co-op, the synergy is where the fun truly explodes. Coordinating elemental attacks with your partner turns skirmishes into chaotic, strategic masterpieces.
How to Get Started
The developers are actively building this gem with an incredible focus on community feedback.
The free public demo of Buddy Bug is currently available on Steam! It’s the perfect chance to:
Experiment with a taste of the weapons and gadgets.
Face off against newly designed enemies.
Get a feel for the unique Class system.
If you enjoy fast-paced 2D action, creative environments, and the deep replayability of the roguelite genre, Buddy Bug is a title you absolutely cannot miss. Grab a buddy (bug pun intended!) and jump into this miniature world of massive danger.
Ever wondered what epic battles are unfolding right beneath your feet? Get ready to find out! From the creators of Eastern Exorcist, Buddy Bug is buzzing onto the scene, offering a unique blend of cooperative action, roguelite depth, and a world where a bottle cap is a fortress and a lighter is a fearsome weapon.
A Microscopic World, A Colossal Adventure
Buddy Bug plunges you into a vivid, microscopic insect world hidden away in the corners of a bustling city. You step into the tiny shoes (or carapace) of Buddy, a scarab beetle from the slums of Buggle Town, fighting against the oppression of the dreaded Black Force Gang.
This is a world that feels both familiar and brand new. Every day human debris—delivery boxes, thumbtacks, syringes—is repurposed by insect ingenuity into a vibrant yet dangerous landscape. It’s a compelling setting that immediately hooks you into the bugs’ struggle for survival.
Co-op Roguelite Chaos
At its core, Buddy Bug is a 2D co-op action roguelite built for both solo adventurers and team-ups.
Gather Your Friends: The game supports both single-player and local co-op (with online co-op in development). Team up with a friend and combine your insect characters’ unique skills for maximum chaos and strategic synergy.
Physics-Based Combat: Forget conventional swords and guns. Your arsenal is a brilliant collection of re-engineered human objects. Imagine using a water-spewing syringe as a spear or wielding a Lighter for charged, fiery bursts!
Elemental Reactions: Combat goes deep with a system of elemental reactions. Combine grease with a fire-based weapon to ignite your foes, or use electromagnetic power to conduct electricity through water stains. Experimentation is the key to creating game-breaking builds!
Every run offers new randomised elements, pushing you to creatively combine different weapons and over ten distinct gadgets. It’s a true roguelite experience where the fun lies in adapting your strategy on the fly.
The Devil is in the Detail (and the Dev Logs!)
What’s truly exciting is the level of dedication from developer Wildfire Game. They’ve been meticulously refining the game based on player feedback, detailing reworks for weapons and focusing on mechanics like terrain interaction—where, for example, water in a ‘Freezer Stage’ can freeze into movable ice blocks to block enemies. The developers are clearly committed to creating a polished, engaging experience.
Don’t Miss the Demo!
If this microscopic mayhem sounds like your next obsession, you’re in luck! The first public demo for Buddy Bug is launching very soon on Steam!
This is your chance to get a playful glimpse of the “Cardboard Citadel” and the physics-driven combat before the full release. Dive in, experiment with the different weapons and specialisation systems, and let your inner inventor run wild.
Get ready to shrink down, buddy up, and fight for your territory!
There is no doubt that the Antarctic is a harsh place, but in the Nedra game, it is about to become a total nightmare. This game is a sort of cross between survival horror and Lovecraftian terror based in the soviet era, where players are investigating what has happened to all of the personnel based in a base, however, the truth behind the disapperances lead to them to uncovering a horrific truth.
To find out more about the Nedra game go to the official game website here https://davitandreasyan.com/
As seen at the Tokyo Game Show is Exelio a game that combines survival and a mystery together, as you awaken in a strange location the main priority is survival finding shelter, water and food. Once settled you must discover where you are and who or what you are sharing this land with. Its all a matter of survival, every action will make a difference. Exelio should be on early access on Steam next year.
To find out more about the Exelio game go to the games page on Steam here https://store.steampowered.com/app/2465510/EXELIO/
Start building your community and watch it grow into a massive civilisation this of course sounds easy enough, but it’s not all plain sailing here on TerraScape. In this game, you need to use the cards to create a building and as you get into the game the more buildings that you have the more new cards are added to form new decks, which can be combined to create bigger buildings and so on. This is one of the games where gaming and thinking skills are needed, plan ahead to succeed, play as a co-op online with up to four other players and build your empire from scratch! TerraScape is now available on Steam and GOG.
Find out more about the TerraScape game here on the Steam page https://store.steampowered.com/app/2290000/TerraScape/ or here on the developer’s website https://bitfallstudios.de/
