Contrast Games has released a free playable demo for Akatori, a 2D metroidvania blending staff-focused combat, momentum-driven parkour, and visually striking myth-inspired worlds. Alongside the demo, the developer shared a new gameplay trailer highlighting traversal mechanics, combat systems, and the interconnected universe players will explore.
Contrast Games is an indie studio currently developing its debut titles, Akatori and Welcome to Brightville. The latter is an action-adventure sim, and with both projects taking different creative directions, it will be interesting to see how they shape up at launch. In addition to development, the studio also offers publishing expertise.
Akatori Demo Launches, Showcasing Kung Fu Parkour and Staff-Based Combat in Mythical Metroidvania
Players step into the shoes of Mako, a young monk raised in the Firebird Temple, tasked with saving her homeland from the Amber Storms, a corrupting force distorting all living things. Mako is accompanied by a mysterious red bird sealed within her staff, which serves as both a weapon and a key to traversal and world interaction. The staff enables chaining attacks on the ground and in mid-air, ranged projectile throws, and dynamic combos, while also supporting gliding, wall-hooking, sliding, and air dashes across vertical, layered environments.
The demo offers roughly 45 minutes of gameplay across three distinct biomes:
- Monk Forest – A lush, canopy-filled environment introducing core staff mechanics and basic traversal.
- Bamboo Location – Vertical areas emphasizing glider-assisted movement and flexible bamboo stalk interactions.
- Underwater Location – A tense, breath-limited setting with environmental hazards and platforming challenges.
Players face over ten enemy types, a Chaos Arena, a high-speed chase against a massive Serpent, and the demo’s climactic boss, the Bumblebee. A comprehensive tutorial guides players through Mako’s movement and combat toolkit, including double jumps, wall clings, swimming, light and charged attacks, aerial combos, staff throws, uppercuts, and finishing moves.
Serge, Game Director at Contrast Games, commented:
Creating such diverse worlds in both mechanics and atmosphere was a challenge, but the goal was to give each location a distinct identity while uniting them through a shared meaning.
The game’s visual style combines pixel-art characters with fully 3D environments, offering a 2.5D presentation enhanced by modern rendering techniques. Stanislav, Art Director, detailed in the official press release that blending 2D and 3D assets while maintaining a unique visual identity for each world presented both creative and technical challenges, but enabled dynamic, layered environments that emphasize verticality and movement.
Akatori also features living ecosystems in which enemies interact with one another and the environment, triggering traps and responding to hazards. Boss encounters take unconventional forms, including rhythm-based sequences and environmental escapes, while the soundtrack provides distinct themes for each location and encounter, reinforcing the game’s myth-inspired worlds.
The free demo for Akatori is available now on Steam, playable with both controller and keyboard, and supports English, German, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese. The full game is in development for PC via Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Related News:
- Dark Metroidvania Side-Scroller AWAKEN: Astral Blade Release Date Announced For PC and PS5
- Review: MIO: Memories in Orbit – A Gorgeous Indie Metroidvania Featuring Satisfying Combat
- Pixel-Art Metroidvania Alruna and the Necro-Industrialists Releases Updated Demo on PC
Would you be interested in playing Akatori’s demo, or would you rather wait for its full release? Let us know in the comments section below.
