Indie game of the week: Future Knight

In our weekly indie section, we’re recommending Future Knight, by Studio Koba and Aeternum Game Studios.

This week leans less “comfy” and more weird on purpose. Future Knight launched on August 13, 2026 on PC and consoles, and it’s one of those indies where a single screenshot tells you if you’ll click with it: it looks like a Game & Watch possessed by a modern shoot ’em up. Quick primer if those terms aren’t familiar: Game & Watch were Nintendo’s LCD handhelds from the ’80s (monochrome screen, simple silhouettes, one mini-game per device. Like the one below); a shoot ’em up (or shmup) is a 2D shooter where you push through screens packed with enemies, bullets, and bosses, usually at arcade pace. Here’s why I’m bringing it (and what to expect if you jump in).

What is Future Knight?

It’s a 2D shoot ’em up / run-and-gun with horizontal and vertical scrolling, chunky bosses, and a frantic pace. The premise, short and spoiler-light: you have eight hours (eight biomes) to stop a pyramid cult from wiping humanity’s memory… and you do it as a robot hero who also carries Two More, a benign tumor with a life of its own and plenty of personality.

The gameplay hook isn’t just shooting: you swap on the fly between Future Knight (power, guns, chaos) and Two More (dash, walls, tight gaps). One helps refill the other’s health or energy, so the loop asks for choreography: surviving isn’t enough; you have to dance the fight.

Visually it leans into a neo-retro LCD look: ink blots, hard contrast, nostalgia for ’80s electronic handhelds with a grotesque, satirical edge.

What draws me to this title?

I think the art direction alone earns a shout-out, and on top of that, it’s fun. Studio Koba (the Narita Boy folks) and Aeternum (Aeterna Noctis) pair visual personality with controls that, on paper, sound precise and playful. The robot + tumor duo, the dark humor, and that calculator-screen-made-action vibe… it’s a hard pitch to ignore.

Anyway, enough talk. Here’s how the game looks:

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Why it hooked me

Because it feels made for anyone who misses dense arcade games but wants a wrapper you haven’t seen a thousand times. The “eight hours / eight levels” window, the character swap, and the absurdist tone pull it away from generic shmups. And it launches at a contained price (around €15, with a launch discount in the first weeks on Steam): easy to justify if you’re into the genre.

It’s on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch, so you’re not forced to pick tower or living room.

Will you like this game?

• Yes, if… you like 2D shoot ’em ups, precise controls, weird aesthetics, and unfiltered absurdist humor.
• Not so much, if… you want solemn story, a slow pace, or a “pretty” game in the conventional sense: here the cute and the grotesque walk hand in hand.

The one caveat

It’s a reflex-heavy title. If you’re rusty on shmups or run-and-gun, the bosses and constant character swaps may cost you a few learning deaths. Not a deal-breaker, but worth knowing before you expect a stroll.

Conclusion

Future Knight is my indie of the week because it pairs tight action with art direction you can’t miss: LCD, chaos, and a tumor you can trust.

• Game: Future Knight
• Studios: Studio Koba · Aeternum Game Studios

Next week, another one. And if you’ve got an indie you think fits this section, write me at contact@inlobby.gg.