A Steam demo is now available for Polygon Bird's upcoming Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga-esque shoot 'em up Birdcage, giving players a chance to try out the promising title ahead of its launch on November 18th, 2025.
Originally announced back in November 2022, the game, which has been previously described as "an arcade-style, vertically scrolling shooter" in which you "shoot, slash and weave through countless bullets and enemies," ended up catching our attention two years ago, thanks to a development update on Twitter/X.
It centers on a story about a war between two opposing factions, named Selene and Radon, with players assuming control of a pilot who awakens inside an experimental gunship and is tasked with destroying a powerful Radon weapon capable of ending Earth’s reign and birthing a new universe.
The new demo, which is nicknamed Birdcage -Dryad Ecophene Module Object-, has been released to coincide with this month's Steam Next Fest and features an opening cutscene for the in-development shoot 'em up, as well as a playable tutorial, two full stages, four boss fights, and a choice of difficulty (Easy, Normal, and Hard).
The developer estimates it features 15 minutes of gameplay content in total, though we imagine you'll be wanting to dive back in again and again to get to grips with the ship, the Halcyon, and its combination of long-range, rapid-firing lasers and its close-range sword attacks.
Here's where you can download the demo, if you fancy giving it a go.