Whenever we get a new game from Inti Creates, known for the likes of Gal Guardians and Blaster Master and Azure Striker, it's almost guaranteed to wind up on my Steam wishlist. The retro anime game powerhouse has another shoo-in out next month – Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark – and it's got a demo in this week's ongoing Steam Next Fest. Act surprised: this Metroidvania follow-up seems great. It's the top-ranked Metroidvania on the Steam Next Fest charts, and that comes as no surprise.
Servants of the Dark follows 2023's similarly delightful Gal Guardians: Demon Purge, and plays almost identically at first blush. You play as two demon maid sisters this time – Kirika and Masha – on a quest to restore the demon lord they serve, blasting and slashing through 2D levels and bosses as you go. This is a game overflowing with anime girls in maid uniforms, and some of the monsters are just giant women who'd be right at home in the likes of Momodora, but it's all very much safe for work and, crucially, fun. If you, like me, initially mistook it for a different character-swapping Metroidvania on Steam which is very NSFW, put those worries aside.
