We have good news for fans of physical games — one of the year's most adorable new platformers, Kero Kero Cowboy, is finally getting a physical release, courtesy of the Homebrew Factory.
The Game Boy Color game was originally crowdfunded to the tune of $13,171, between Nov 25th, 2024, to January 3rd, 2025, and was released digitally earlier this year on itch.io for $9.99 USD.
But now, fans have the opportunity to pick up a brand new physical copy of the title on cartridge, complete with a new, full colour manual and packaging, priced at €50.00. This is available from Broke Studios' Homebrew Factory website, with orders expected to start shipping once the publisher returns from their Christmas holiday on December 29th.
The game, in case you've yet to come across it, is a side-scrolling Western-themed action platformer, seemingly inspired by classics like Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and Kirby's Dream Land, and follows the "ribbeting" story of a gun-wielding amphibian named Kero Kero Cowboy. Having sworn to "restore peace and justice" to the Wild West, they set their sights on bringing down a notorious group of outlaws called the Ferocious Five, with the player having to guide the diminutive gunslinger across insect-patrolled deserts, underground mine systems, and moving trains, to accomplish this goal.
Abilities include firing your oversized revolver at enemies in your way, using a boot to stomp on enemy heads (similar to the Goomba's Shoe from SMB 3), and taking advantage of your tongue to swallow incoming projectiles and transform them into star-shaped projectiles (kind of like a mix between Yoshi & Kirby). It was developed by Mike Bedsole (aka MetagameMike), an individual who is a lead character animator on Brawlhalla, and features music from chiptune composer Scott Semanski.
Here's what else you can expect:
- 25 stages across 5 regions
- boss fights
- items and power-ups
- collectible secrets
- various classic platformer gameplays (mine train, water level, ...)
You can watch the trailer below. A Steam version is also in the works and available to wishlist now.