Strafe, the retro PC shooter billed ironically as “the future of video games” has been delayed even further into said future. The game will now be out May 9, later than the intended release.
Strafe was originally scheduled to come out on March 28, a date announced in January with a trailer. But publisher Devolver Digital released a new video on Monday that shows a simultaneous release for PS4 and PC on May 9.
The game is a retro-inspired shooter that mixes elements from games like Quake with elements of the “roguelike” genre, in which players explore challenging, randomized dungeons for better and better loot. In a description written as if from the early ’90s, it is billed as “the fastest, bloodiest, deadliest, most adjective-abusing action-packed first-person shooter of 1996.”
The reason for the delay is unclear. Even stranger is the fact that the new release date trailer, above, is identical to the old one except for the date at the end. The trailer shows a measured walk up a red carpet as armored enemies’ heads explode with confetti on either side, followed by the May 9 release date and a trip back to the original room, now covered in blood.
Strafe is in development by Pixel Titans, a small studio that began as a passion project between video director Thom Glunt and programmer Stephen Raney. First launched as a Kickstarter in 2015, Strafe earned more than $200,000 toward its development. It was later picked up by prolific indie game publisher Devolver Digital in March 2016.
“Pixel Titans aims to glorify older game design while modernizing it and making the Benjamin Button of games,” reads the studio’s official site. “We make tough games for tough people.”
