Arriving on Steam Monday the 11th, Rainblood Chronicles: Mirage is a 2D side scrolling slash-em-up that promises cinematic gameplay in a stylized Chinese setting.  Though indie platformers and brawlers are a dime a dozen lately, Mirage has a couple things that might pique one's curiosity. The first (and somewhat nostalgic) feature is the ability to hot swap between two characters a 'la classics like Donkey Kong Country, each character equipped to tackle different scenarios. Yet, with the added local co-op, you and a friend can take control of both and play through the story together.  On top of that, the game boasts eight distinct levels, tons of upgrades/abilities/items, and a story setting with collectables strewn about to give a richer world.

The graphics style is also worthy of attention, it having a "digitally" hand drawn feel.  It's the type of look only produced by a digital pad, a lot of semi-unnatural colors with huge flares of orange for the spectacle fighting slashes and jabs as well as inky blacks to give the look some structure.  The music also has a strong, Chinese feel with heavy, driving drums and choir stabs, though it remains to be seen if this is in-game scoring or just canned music added for cinematic effect.

ORiGO Games, one of the two developers, is a sort of "mentor" team that assists smaller companies, assisting in honing their work and making sure the final product gets to a larger audience.  S-Game, a Beijing-based studio and counterpart, made two previous games set in Mirage's world, bringing this new incarnation its world and soul.  Together, they hope to deliver an experience worthy of dusting off the old arcade sticks, a mix of spectacle and combo-based brawling.  The price point is unknown, but is expected to be announced soon.