When I agreed to demo Super Crush KO, I didn’t realize a few things. While I knew it was by the team behind Graceful Explosion Machine, a developer called Vertex Pop, I actually didn’t realize they were also behind WE ARE DOOMED. The reason that’s relevant is cause I really enjoyed demoing WE ARE DOOMED several years ago at SIX, and had I known the connection, I probably would already own Graceful Explosion Machine. But that’s just a little backstory. The reason you’re reading this is to find out about Vertex Pop’s latest project, called Super Crush KO.

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Going from the trailer, Super Crush KO is a lighthearted and colorful beat-em-up set in the near future. Aliens (or robots, or alien robots) have stolen your cat, and like any good cat owner, you’re gonna get kitty back. The demo itself had several areas full of robotic foes that I had to clear out to progress. There was a good variety of them, but the thing they all had in common was their bright, colorful and geometric design. That, and they all wanted to kill me. The character you play is a young woman, but she’s far from unprepared for battle. By consuming various foods, such as Pizza, she gets new abilities to use in battle. In the demo, there was a large selection of moves, but they were introduced at good intervals and I quickly got the hang of mixing and matching them in frenetic combos.

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Besides many physical moves at your disposal, such as an uppercut, dash and aerial kick, you also are equipped with a sort of futuristic pistol. This lets you blast foes from a distance, which can be quite handy. I found the gameplay equal parts intuitive and delightful, and if I took damage it was because I was going too fast or not paying attention. Though Super Crush KO was one of the last games I demoed at E3, I felt compelled to write about it sooner than later. It’s just a lot of fun, and I’m eager for a release date. As of right now, it’s slated to come out sometime in early 2020 to both Steam and Nintendo Switch. Stay tuned to oprainfall for more details about the latest game from Vertex Pop as it becomes available.