Decades before Dark Souls was a twinkle in anyone’s eye, we had 2D shoot-em-up games, or ‘shmups’. They satisfied the masochistic itch for ultra-hard difficulty that gave you slim chances of survival and required peak performance and knowledge of the game to conquer. There aren’t a lot of games like that being made today, but Star of Providence sure embraces it if this trailer is anything to go by. It’s an absolutely relentless, bullet-hell shooter, and then some.

Star of Providence has been on PC since 2017, but it’s receiving a massive free update called Into Oblivion and all its previous Relics of the Past paid DLC is now free. It’s also now on Nintendo Switch.

Personally, I’m glad games like this are still being made even though I’m terrible at them. They’re an important part of video game culture. This is why the indie scene exists.

Star of Providence is available now for Nintendo Switch and PC. Check out the launch trailer below:

Descending in the darkness of a long-abandoned facility, a lone ship searches for wealth, power and the scattered pieces of the past.
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Star of Providence is a top down action shooter with procedurally generated elements. Explore a progression of floors as you make your way into the depths of the facility, encountering increasingly deadly enemies, fantastic weapons, upgrades, choices and revelations as you venture deeper towards a great and calamitous power.

Features:

  • Smooth, gracious, fast action gameplay, tailored to feel good to play.
  • 13 different types of weapons with over 50 unique modifiers and a ludicrous number of combinations.
  • A number of floors with their own layouts, traps and enemies.
  • Intricate and energetic chiptune soundtrack to complement the beat of the action.

The game now comes with the previously paid DLC, Relics of the Past, for free!

  • New enemies! New hazards! New bosses! Over 2000 new room layouts!
  • Two new floors! The elusive Temple and the overflowing b0unds o. -$556/-err
  • Looping! Every game loop beaten unlocks a yet harder one.
  • Over 40 unique weapons! Rare, powerful and different spins on the default armaments.
  • Cartridges! Utilize the power of over 40 ancient, bootleg storage devices.
  • Blessings! The council lends their strength. Choose wisely.
  • Practice mode! Test your mettle, practice any boss you’ve faced.
  • New playable characters! Yes.
  • Hacking! Finally.

May Power Eternal grant you everlasting life.

Star of Providence: Into Oblivion RELEASED

The update is now out! We hope you have fun with the following features, and more…

  • 2 new upgrades.
  • 1 new playable character.
  • 5 new normal enemies.
  • More new bosses than enemies for some reason.
  • 13 new unique weapons.
  • 20 new cartridges.
  • 43 new keywords (including those exclusive to Skully and Unique weapons).
  • A nearly complete rework of the loop mechanic, including capping it to a maximum loop of 13.
  • A nearly complete rework of the Skully playable “ship”.
  • Face the Gauntlet, a new sub-branch which appears on late-game floors and offers valuable rewards in exchange for defeating esoteric challenges.
  • “Boss” “Rushes”.
  • Hundreds of new room layouts, featuring a variety of new hazards and gimmicks.
  • Massive balance changes, visual improvements, and performance optimizations across the whole game.
  • The unknown diminishes, ever so slightly.

[Steam]