Rebel Transmute: Sci-Fi Pixel Art Metroidvania Is Out Now

Fans of retro-style indie games — and especially metroidvania lovers like me — have a new world to sink our teeth into. Rebel Transmute is available now on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

Rebel Transmute wears its Metroid inspiration on its sleeve, as heroine Moon Mikono arrives on an alien science station in search of her missing mother. In this retro-style 2D adventure you’ll leap platforms, blast alien lifeforms with Moon’s cannon, and grab upgrades to unlock access to new areas.

The game comes from solo developer Evan Tor (@Evan_Tor), and has been in the works as a labor of love for the past five years.

Here’s a look at the trailer:

The story of Rebel Transmute stretches across a variety of biomes with over 80 unique enemies and more than 10 different bosses. Based on the demo I’d say that exploration is a ton of fun, movement feels great, and those bosses aren’t fooling around. Prepare to die a decent amount as you learn to master these encounters.

Here is the publisher’s summary:

Battle your way through a living planet in Rebel Transmute, a sprawling 2D action-exploration epic! Embody Moon Mikono as you explore, reprogram your abilities, duel twisted sci-fi experiments, rebel against colonizers, and search for your long lost mother.

In this modern metroidvania you play as Moon Mikono, a space scrapper turned adventurer on a mission to uncover the true fate of her missing mother. To accomplish this mission in your own, unique way you’ll be swapping out game changing augments to suit your playstyle. Aggressive and greedy? Inquisitive and cautious? Maybe you just want an army of friendly creatures! With over 50 unique upgrades, Rebel Transmute allows you to play through a classic sci-fi adventure in your style.

The sprawling world of Rebel Transmute is full of stunning vistas: From vibrant greenery in the Overgrowth, to the fluorescent reefs of the Coral Fissure, to the sparkblood crystal-strewn Surface.

JanduSoft

Rebel Transmute borrows mechanics from popular metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, including an upgrade system that allows you to acquire new abilities and equip a custom load-out of “augments” based on the situation — up to 48 optional upgrades. Mercifully, the game also has accessibility options to make it more approachable. (And yes, I did have to artificially increase my health in order to complete this demo!)

You’ll also drop some of your acquired currency when you die, and can backtrack to that point to pick it up again — though this is much more forgiving than Hollow Knight‘s soulsike shade mechanic. Moon will lose 10% of her cash and one unit of health when she dies, but another 50% (which cannot be reclaimed) if she dies again before retrieving it. Redditors keep telling me that players can instead opt to pay to retrieve their lost health at a respawn point … but I have yet to find that option in my build of the demo.

This is definitely a game worth playing, especially for metroidvania enthusiasts. The pixel art looks great, and Moon feels good to control. The level design could use some balancing, though. Platforming sometimes requires near pixel-perfect execution of your maximum jump arc, and some platforms are just far enough out of reach that you’ll be tempted to burn off your health trying the jump again and again, only to realize that you really do need an upgrade to cross that row of spikes.

Check out the game’s demo now on Steam. Rebel Transmute is also on sale for its launch — 10% off on Switch and Xbox, and 15% off on Steam (look for the “Robot Infested Metroidvanias” bundle option).