When Bitmap Bureau recently announced He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction, it made dreams come true for an entire generation of 40-something adults raised on the classic '80s Saturday morning cartoon series / toy line / cross-media franchise.
A 2D side-scrolling fighting game in the style of Golden Axe and Final Fight, it's looking incredibly promising – and Bitmap Bureau's track record means it's almost certain to be a must-play when it eventually releases.
If you're struggling to contain your excitement, then you might be tempted to look elsewhere for your Eternia combat fix, and publisher Q-Byte has helpfully pointed out that there's another He-Man 2D scrolling fighter available – and it's free to play!
The game initially looks promising, with large, cartoon-accurate sprites and detailed backgrounds, but it's fair to say it doesn't play quite as slickly as it looks.
It's not an official effort, either; it's a fan-made game created by bWWd, so its rather rough-around-the-edges feel can be forgiven. The fact that you can play as He-Man, Man-At-Arms, BattleCat, Sorceress, Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, She-Ra, Ram-Man, Teela and even Lion-O from Thundercats scores a lot of points in my book, too.
I can't say if this effort will totally fill the void between now and when Dragon Pearl of Destruction arrives, but it's worth a look if you're a fan of He-Man and company.