When I shop around for co-op games, I'm rarely swayed by potential for teamplay. No, I want to nudge my friend, say "Is there friendly fire in this?" and then blow their head clean off. So I was impressed when I saw [[link]] Awaysis' physics-based slide jumps and enemy-propelling magic projectiles, but I was elated when I saw one player seemingly brush their co-op partner off a ledge and into an endless abyss by accident.
When the game first , developer 17-bit described both Gang Beasts and pinball as inspirations, but it's a little hard to conceptualize until you see it in action. The new preview offers a taste of the funny friend-killing scenarios, of [[link]] course, but it also struts how physics-driven combat can reflavor the classic dungeon crawl.
You can bat enemies off ledges by pushing them back with fireballs, outpace hordes by building up momentum down slopes, and so on. The open, ramp-filled arenas we see in the trailer seem tailor-made for these sorts of improvised strategies. It's a far cry from 17-bit's previous games, like the Advance Wars-inspired Skulls of the Shogun and shmuppy roguelike Galak-Z, but I suppose if you leap across genre lines with every new game no one can ding you for being predictable.
The trailer also shouts out Hirokazu Tanaka's soundtrack, which already sounds saucy and eclectic between its booming synth basslines and funky guitar hits. Tanaka's resume includes the likes of Metroid, Earthbound, and Dr. Mario—I'd be bragging if he was making music for my game, too.
Awaysis doesn't have a release date, but you can still wishlist it .