An awful lot of gamers have been unhappy over the Epic Games Store's recent acquisition of some pretty big exclusives, like Metro Exodus and The Division 2. But it's not the only online storefront making moves against Steam: Kartridge, the digital platform launched last year by Kongregate, will get four exclusive launches of its own later this year, including the sequel to the hit 2D RPG Anodyne.
The games are the first of Kongregate's "Premiering on Kartridge" timed exclusives, and will eventually make their way to other platforms; in fact, all but the Wonderputt sequel are already listed on Steam. The exclusivity period will vary from game to game, but a rep said it will typically be 30-45 days.
Here's what's coming:
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust, about a cleaner named Nova who must collect and recycle the "Nano Dust" that grows throughout New Theland. It will add 3D exploration to the original's 2D dungeon crawling, and is set to come out in May.
Hell is Other Demons, a bullet-hell platformer about a demon who must kill other demons. Why? Because that's how demons deal with interpersonal conflict, I guess. It's set to come out in the second quarter (Apr-June) of 2019.
Swords and Souls: Neverseen, a skill-based crafting RPG that expands on the free 2015 browser-based game: Explore an "enormous" map, tame and train pets, acquire powerful relics, and of course fight, fight, fight. It's set for a Q2 release as well.
And finally, a sequel to the surreal mini-golf game Wonderputt, which doesn't actually have a proper title yet. There's no date on that one yet, but we said in 2011 that Wonderputt is so "magical" that we didn't want to risk spoiling any of it, so you should just go play it.
"We're excited and honored to be the launch partner for these very talented developers and their fantastic games," content director Anthony Pecorella said. "With nods both to our Flash game roots and our indie origins, these games are perfect matches for Kartridge."
Find out more at kartridge.com.