New metroidvania Akatori launches free demo with staff combat

Contrast Games has released a free playable demo for Akatori, a 2D metroidvania featuring staff-based combat and kung fu parkour, according to the studio's announcement. The demo launched February 16, 2026 on Steam and offers approximately 45 minutes of gameplay across three distinct locations. Players can try the demo now through Steam Next Fest, which runs until March 2, 2026.

What the demo includes

The Akatori demo spans three unique environments that showcase the game's core mechanics. Players explore the Monk Forest, a lush canopy setting that introduces Mako's staff abilities, before tackling a vertical Bamboo Location built around glider traversal. The demo concludes with an underwater section featuring breath-limited navigation and environmental hazards.

Combat encounters include over ten enemy types, a Chaos Arena survival challenge, and a high-stakes chase sequence with a massive Serpent. The experience culminates in a boss fight against the Bumblebee. A full tutorial system introduces traversal mechanics including gliding, air dashing, wall climbing, and swimming alongside the versatile staff combat system.

The demo supports both controller and keyboard controls and includes localisation for English, German, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese. It joins other free demos available to players this season.

Staff-centric gameplay mechanics

Akatori centres around Mako's mystical staff, which functions as weapon, traversal tool, and narrative element. Players chain combos on ground and in mid-air, launch the staff as a projectile, then pull it back to continue attacking in fluid motion. The staff enables gliding, wall-hooking, sliding, and momentum-driven parkour across highly vertical environments.

"It was a real challenge to bring together such different worlds - in terms of atmosphere, mechanics, and gameplay dynamics," said Serge, Game Director at Contrast Games. "The goal was to create a distinctly unique experience for each location while still uniting them through a shared meaning."

The game features what the developers call "living enemy ecosystems" where creatures fight each other, trigger traps, and react to environmental hazards rather than simply targeting the player.

Visual design and development challenges

Akatori combines 2D pixel art characters with fully 3D environments in what the team calls a 2.5D visual style. Art Director Stanislav noted the complexity of this approach: "If you think that creating a pixel-art metroidvania saves development time… think again. And when the visuals combine both 2D and 3D elements, enhanced by modern technologies, it becomes a challenge of its own."

The game spans multiple biomes from medieval Asian-inspired landscapes to flooded underground mines, floating bamboo islands, and otherworldly dimensions. Each location features distinct mechanics, species, and pacing designed to feel unique while maintaining narrative cohesion.

Full release plans

While the demo is currently exclusive to Steam, the full version of Akatori is planned for PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. Contrast Games has not announced a release date or pricing for the complete game.

The studio describes Akatori as joining upcoming releases in the metroidvania genre, though specific timing remains unconfirmed. Players can wishlist the game on Steam to receive updates about the full release.

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