Samurai Gunn 2 is aiming for an early access release this summer
Now with online multiplayer, a story mode, and co-op
Samurai Gunn 2 has resurfaced with a new trailer and a planned summer release date, three years after first being announced. The quicker-than-quick arena fighter sequel introduces online multiplayer and a story mode, but otherwise its blades-and-bullets ballet looks as stylish and slicky brutal as the original.
Samurai Gunn 2 was first announced back in 2018 with a planned 2019 release date. Back then it was due to be published by Double Fine Presents, Double Fine's publishing division which shut down after they were acquired by Microsoft.
Now that the game has reappeared, it has a new publisher and is aiming for an early access release this summer. The game's Steam page explains that they "plan to continue updating Samurai Gunn 2 in Early Access until we finish Adventure Mode, finish the Comic, and expand Versus mode with lots of new characters and levels."
Among those characters will be some familiar from the first game, but also "Friends" characters from other games. Two are revealed in the trailer above: the little beak-faced protagonist from Minit, and Ana Spelunky from Spelunky 2. Presumably you can defeat the Minit protag by just waiting sixty seconds?
One strange detail from the Steam page: the entire game can be played online or locally, which means you can play the story mode as a co-op adventure, but also the comic. I don't even really know what that means - simultaneous reading where you take it in turns to change the page? But I like it anyway.
I never personally spent a lot of time with the first Samurai Gunn, preferring Towerfall and Nidhogg for my local party brawls, but Brendy loved it.