Hayaku! Island of Darkness

Hayaku! Island of Darkness is a retro metroidvania that draws on classic 8-bit titles. It combines interconnected exploration, fast-paced combat and platforming based on abilities. The setting is an island with abandoned laboratories, overgrown cities, crystal mines, military strongholds, ancient forests and some of the last human settlements. Players download map data from terminals, reconnect a transport network and return to areas they could not previously reach as they gain new movement and combat abilities. Traversal includes dashing, wall clinging, bouncing off enemies and crossing electrical networks, and the world contains shortcuts, hidden rooms and optional challenges.

Combat uses three primary weapons: Crimson Star, an energy blade; BeastBreaker, a heavy weapon; and TurboDrill, a mechanical chain weapon that can also grapple. Each main weapon can reach three combat levels, which brings stronger attacks and changes how it behaves. A secondary weapon wheel includes bouncing bombs and rapid daggers, which use crystals as ammunition. Players can also pilot a Power Armor with its own movement, health and weapons. It is assembled from cores, arms and legs drawn from four armour families, and can be fitted with items such as shields, energy cannons, drills, chains and axes, alongside mobility options including gliding, hovering, aquatic movement and specialised dashes. Enemies include defence robots, Reikan soldiers and creatures called Tenebris, and each region has its own hazards. Boss encounters feature pixel-art animation and camera work.

The story follows Hayaki, who wakes in the Forgotten Lab with no memory. He is accompanied by SecSy, a security AI housed in a cat-shaped robotic mask. A fragment of memory gives him the name Yusuke, a soldier he believes to be his missing brother. Their search takes them across territory controlled by Reikan, an organisation that offers protection while controlling people, resources and history. Survivors on the island offer optional quests, which are tracked in a journal called Notes & Favors, and recordings, photographs and pieces of Dr. Geno’s research reveal more of the background. The description states that how far the player confronts the island’s past will shape its future. One DLC item has recently been added on Steam.