Update []:
As part of this year's SAGE 2025 event, the Brazilian indie developer Pedro "PVic" Victor has released the first ever PC demo for Artius, his new "momentum-based" platformer inspired by games like Pizza Tower, Antonblast, and Sonic the Hedgehog.
This demo is said to contain one complete stage (comprised of three acts, and a tutorial section), and allows players to take control of its four main heroes (Pierre, René, Walter, and Guga) as they smash, kick, and slam their way through the colourful city of Rupestrine.
It plans to give players a taste of the kind of fast and chaotic gameplay they can expect from the finished version, and also notably presents us with our first proper look at what its story will be, with its opening cutscene beginning with an introduction about a group of legendary artists who seal their magical abilities within an art book.
As this opening goes on to explain, our four main heroes (who are students at an art academy) are selected to inherit pages from this book as a reward for creating their own masterpieces. However, on the day of the ceremony, a rival student named Pivolo seizes the book, hoping to use its power to dominate the city of Rupestrine. This sets off a chain of events that leads Pierre, René, Walter, and Guga to band together to save the city from Pivolo's creations.
You can download the demo for the game now on GameJolt.
Original Story: If you happen to have a soft spot for classic Sonic as well as games like Pizza Tower, you should definitely be paying attention to Artius: Pure Imagination.
Revealed earlier this week, it is a new "momentum-based" platformer from the Brazilian developer Pedro "PVic" Victor, who was previously behind Sonic fan games like Dr. Robotnik's Badnik Quarrel and was also among the group of programmers credited on the excellent 2024 platformer Antonblast.
The game crossed our radar earlier today, thanks to its impressive debut trailer, and has already shot to the top of the list of our most-anticipated titles, due to its exceptionally colourful GBA-esque aesthetic and its chaotic, cartoon-style gameplay that sees players bounce, smash, swing, and grind their way through various 2D levels.
According to Victor, the game will see players "embody four unique artists fighting to preserve creativity in a world on the verge of artistic extinction" and is currently being tailored to appeal to fans of "fast-paced 2D platformers" as well as those who love “cozy hub worlds and creativity-oriented experiences” as well.
It is currently in its pre-alpha stage, meaning some elements are likely to change as work on the project continues, but it's already looking remarkably promising from what has already been shared.
No platforms or release dates have been revealed just yet, but we imagine its initial release will be targeting PC.
If you want to keep up to date with the game's development, you can follow PVic's progress on GameJolt, Twitter/X, and BlueSky.