Xeodrifter, developer Renegade Kid’s love letter to classic sci-fi exploration games like Super Metroid, was originally only available on Steam and Nintendo’s eShop, but that is going to change very soon. The game launches for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita September 1, complete with cross-buy support.
The PlayStation versions of the game are being published by the Austin, Texas-based Gambitious, which is located “right beside” original developer Renegade Kid. To get the game running on the new platforms, the publisher worked closely with Renegade Kid’s Matthew Gambrell, who “managed to get the game through QA without a single hitch.”
“The thing that drew us to Xeodrifter (besides Renegade Kid’s stellar pedigree) is how easy it is to pick up and enjoy,” Gambitious’ Vernon Vrolijk says in the official announcement. “The game is quite clearly an homage to the 2D action-adventure games we all grew up loving as kids.”
Gamitious also says that the upcoming PlayStation 4 port has received significant exposure thanks to its spot in Sony’s “Summer retail promotional tour,” where Xeodrifter was included on demo units in the United States.
What’s most impressive, however, is that Xeodrifter was actually created as a “bridge” project. In a podcast interview in which I took part last year, designer Jools Watsham says that he was forced to delay Renegade Kid’s ambitious Treasurenauts into 2016, and the studio began quickly working on Xeodrifter so that it would have the funds required to continue the project. This came as the studio was also releasing the episodic 3DS game Moon Chronicles, a remake of the original FPS Moon for the Nintendo DS.
If you’re interested in other games from Renegade Kid, you’ll find quite an eclectic mix. Dimentium: The Ward and its sequel are among the only true horror games on the DS, while Mutant Mudds offers a unique take on classic 2D platformers, and has already been ported to the Vita itself.
