The wait for Hollow Knight Silksong doesn't feel so bad these days, with so many fantastic Metroidvania games springing up to fill the void. Among those I've played, my time with the BioGun demo sent it rocketing up my own personal wishlist, so I'm very excited to see developer Dapper Dog Digital set a release date for its game – and if you can't wait until then, you can try it for yourself right now with a free Steam demo.
platform game bringing together Hollow Knight style platforming, twin-stick combat in the vein of Metroid and Axiom Verge, and a delightfully light-hearted spin on exploring the inside of a living creature packed with gorgeous, colorful designs and plenty of exploration.
I really enjoyed my time with the BioGun Clinical Trial demo, being immediately drawn in by its bright, vibrant designs and the distinctive premise (though the ability to name the dog certainly helped too). Your guides are DocX, the white-haired engineer responsible for injecting you into the pup, and Pheobe, an 'organic smart chip' that's tracking the vitals of your faithful hound and is able to alert you to high-priority missions.
As you explore, you'll meet anthropomorphized versions of the various immune systems – the White Blood Cells, for example, are a group of armored dogs that march through the internals blasting any troublemakers. The early writing is pretty charming, and the concept offers up plenty of potential for all manner of unique enemy designs. You might not want to be eating lunch while you play, however.
The platforming and exploration is fast and precise, with a similar feel to that of Hollow Knight, but the weapon system gives combat more of an Axiom Verge feel. Your basic weapons are always available, but more powerful attacks utilize Atomic Energy, a resource earned by attacking enemies or gathering dropped resources that can also be spent to heal yourself. You'll also unlock upgrade molecules as you progress, allowing you to augment your own DNA to boost your health, energy, and abilities.
The BioGun Steam release date is Tuesday April 16. You don't need to wait until then to get your hands on it, however; the BioGun free demo is currently available on Steam, allowing you to try out the start of the game for yourself. You can get it from the store page, where you can also add the full game to your Steam wishlist to be kept up to date with all the latest details.
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