Castle in the Darkness trailer makes the case for wailing guitars, giant owl bosses

What next for 1001 Spikes developers Nicalis?

What next for 1001 Spikes developers Nicalis? 100...2 Spikes? Tom: please don't give them any ideas. Nope: next on the agenda is Castle in the Darkness, a platforming Metroidvaniay RPG thingy, and one with a trailer reminiscent of that of a Falcom game. By which I mean: wailing '80s guitars. Castlevania, Mega Man, Zelda, Kirby, and Falcom's Ys games have all been mentioned as inspirations, and I'd say they've been represented pretty well.

Given that it's just been announced, you might be expecting Castle in the Darkness not to release for a good long while, but it's going to be coming to Steam this Summer. Nicalis' Matt Kap—he's worked on 1001 Spikes, and is doing the scrumptious pixel art for The Binding of Isaac Rebirth—has been working on CitD for the last two years. This game is described as a "fast-paced adventure platformer", featuring a levelling system, an equip menu, an "expansive world" with a ton of secrets, and "over 50 bosses", including that big friendly owl at the end of the video. Chris Packham is going to be apoplectic.

Thanks, Joystiq.