One of the early Kickstarter titles that sort of faded away from the spotlight over time, after getting funded, was GUTS Department’s Aegis Defenders. The game is a 16-bit inspired, action-adventure game that combines Metroidvania exploration with tower-defense strategy gameplay.

The uniquely designed game has been in the dark for a while, but recently Humble Bundle and GUTS Department announced that Aegis Defenders will rear its head once more in the public spotlight at this year’s GamesCom event in Cologne, Germany.

Following the event in the Fatherland, Aegis Defenders will take a long trip over to the good ‘ole U.S., of A in Seattle, Washington between September 1st and September 4th.

Funnily enough, Humble Bundle’s John Polson, the publishing lead at the company, was won over by Aegis Defenders’ Japanese-inspired art-style, mentioning in the press release…

“”I first played Aegis Defenders on a rooftop party I was co-organizing years ago at The MIX @ E3. The unique gameplay and gorgeous character art inspired by Japan won me over instantly,”

 

“I am truly humbled to be able to help them now cross the finish line, delivering a unique blend of Metroidvania and tower defense that is addictively fun and fresh.”

Enough smoke blowing. Many of you don’t care what other people are saying about Aegis Defenders, you rightfully care about what the game looks like, how it plays and whether or not it will be good. Those are the hallmark qualities of an iconic gaming experience. Well, if you haven’t been keeping track of development, you can check out some gameplay footage for the action-adventure game below.

The game centers around rune hunters out to find the legendary Aegis weapon in order to help save their village from the ruination of the Empire. Players will have to travel across a wide variety of biomes in order to reach their chief destination, mixing in platforming exploration with tower-defense gameplay, and action side-scroller mechanics.

The design has been inspired from 16-bit RPGs from the yesteryears of the golden age, and is said to be a love-letter to classics like Chrono Trigger and the Legend of Zelda.

Players will be able to utilize a mix of firearms, traps, and defensive structures to fend off areas or break through barricades. The game also supports multiplayer for co-op play. Aegis Defenders is due for release later this year toward the end of 2017.

You can learn more by visiting the Steam store page.