Demons Ate My Neighbors! looks to have all the right vibes

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve complained to the rest of the Mega Visions team that it sucks we haven’t seen a true sequel or spiritual successor to the super fun Zombies Ate My Neighbors on the Genesis.

Well, my pleas have been heard by the Lords of Retro because Demons Ate My Neighbors! — a legit spiritual successor to Zombies Ate My Neighbors — is coming to the Nintendo Switch and PC in Q3 2021.

Demons Ate My Neighbors! is a co-op roguelite shooter developed by
Tuned-Out Games and will have “support” by ToeJam and Earl co-creator Greg Johnson, with tunes from Sonic Mania’s Tee Lopes, among others.

“Demons Ate My Neighbors! brings back a fun, thrilling vibe that we miss from ‘80s and ‘90s camp horror,” said Kian Matthew Naderi, Game Director at Tuned-Out Games. “We want to take a fresh, surprising spin on a classic co-op formula by adding random levels, meta-progression, a succinct story, inspired new characters, monsters and innovative gameplay on top of a funky, campy nostalgic aesthetic.”

Tuned-Out Games will launch a Kickstarter campaign for the game on Sept. 1 to raise $175,000 to “add more levels, monsters, and other terrors. Stretch goals include Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 ports, online co-op, new characters, new weapons, and even secret funky alien bosses that might rhyme with GlowJam & Pearl. Pledges for a digital copy of the game start at $15 and go all the way up to $7,500 for anyone who wants to help design a boss,” according to the press release.

The game stars April and Joey and is set in the early ’90s in a suburb called Fairweather Valley. Their summer is going great until all hell breaks loose when a cursed VHS tape begins turning the residents into demon spawn, and it’s up to the two high schoolers to exorcise the demons and save their summer.

You can learn more by visiting the official website at https://tunedoutgames.com/.

Full press release below.

Demons Ate My Neighbors!’ Co-Op Camp Horror Haunts PC, Nintendo Switch in Q3 2021

CALIFORNIA — August 12 —  Demons Ate My Neighbors!, the retro-inspired twin-stick roguelite shooter developed by Tuned-Out Games and incubated with the support of Greg Johnson of HumaNature Studios (Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove!), brings nostalgic cult arcade horror to PC and Nintendo Switch™ in Q3 2021.

1991 — it seems like any other sweltering July in the sleepy suburbs of Fairweather Valley…until a cursed VHS unleashes untold horrors upon the neighborhood, turns the residents evil, and generally makes April & Joey’s summer a total bummer. Our heroes must exorcise their neighbors from hell, fight their way back to the haunted High School and rewind their summer to save the world!

Two heads are better than dead. Team up in local co-op, then pump, refill, and spill ‘em all with Splasha squirt guns, loaded with an infinite supply of holy water. Pump past the limit with Overpump and unleash holy hydro hell. Swap & pop Nozzles to drench demons with different shots, effects, and Overblasts – then upgrade the Splasha’s stats with Nitro Splashtanks found throughout the ‘burbs of Fairweather.

Getting lost finding possessed citizens in procedurally-generated levels? Not with the radical Radar Radio called the RadWatch. Level it up by slaying monsters to boost its range and ability to find survivors. Depending on your choices, some citizens will Tune-Out! – and transform to climactic combat challenges where one of three choices must be made: DAMN, DELIVER, or DIE. Be kind and rewind by draining their recharging stamina with a Holy Hi-Fi arsenal to DELIVER them from evil, or blast through with Lethal Lo-Fi weaponry to let them stay DAMNED.

Don’t worry about death – with infinite timelines, another April & Joey are ready to DAMN! or DELIVER all over again. This time, smash through and loot the ‘hood. Knock over mailboxes, trashcans, and more to find household weapons that exploit monster weaknesses. Freeze Zombos, zap Zaplings and vaporize Vampunks with Garlic Pizza. Collect VHS tokens from Boss Demons to unlock new permanent meta upgrades in the hideout.

Evoking moody ‘80s / ‘90s teen-horror with Saturday morning cartoons and a manic, humorous tone, Demons Ate My Neighbors! Honors ‘90s co-op classicsas only an unofficial SPIRITual sequel could. 16-bit characters feel right at home in this ever-changing top-down 3D world of nightmare nostalgia featuring a funky, thrilling dynamic soundtrack by Sonic Mania veteran Tee Lopes, Varien, Nice Legs, and Papoose & Remy Ma!

Demons Ate My Neighbors!’ Kickstarter opens on Tuesday, September 1. Tuned-Out Games hopes to raise $175,000 to add more levels, monsters, and other terrors. Stretch goals include Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 ports, online co-op, new characters, new weapons, and even secret funky alien bosses that might rhyme with GlowJam & Pearl. Pledges for a digital copy of the game start at $15 and go all the way up to $7,500 for anyone who wants to help design a boss.

“Demons Ate My Neighbors! brings back a fun, thrilling vibe that we miss from ’80s & ‘90s camp horror,” said Kian Matthew Naderi, Game Director at Tuned-Out Games. “We want to take a fresh, surprising spin on a classic co-op formula by adding random levels, meta-progression, a succinct story, inspired new characters, monsters and innovative gameplay on top of a funky, campy nostalgic aesthetic. If you’re sick of Demons Eating YOUR Neighbors – Join the @Watch on Twitter. Get pumped!”

Demons Ate My Neighbors!, launches in Fall 2021 on Nintendo Switch and PC in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese. To learn more, please visit Demons Ate My Neighbors!’ official website, join the Discord, follow the game on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch, and wishlist it on Steam.