Cynoroid Forsaken is a corpse-eating 2D action game being developed by JP indie dev

Written by. Ryuki Ishii based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-05-05 21:47 JST)

Japanese doujin group Crush-vAdin has announced that Cynoroid Forsaken is coming to Steam on June 4 for 600 yen (around $4.50) with a 10% discount planned upon launch.

Cynoroid Forsaken is a pixel art 2D action shooting game that takes place in a research facility full of deformities. Humanity is on the verge of extinction as they are being hunted down by mindless machines and bio-weapons. To avert annihilation, the provisional government dispatches a captured bipedal bio-weapon called Cynoroid to the ruins of a centuries-old mechanical civilization to secure a base of operations and obtain armaments needed to turn the tides.

The Cynoroid is equipped with a variety of firearms and optimized for long-term exploratory missions, as it’s capable of healing itself by ingesting protein (=enemy corpses) and temporarily enhancing physical capabilities by consuming energy the Cynoroid itself has generated. The facility is infested with humanoid machines and bio-weapons, so you’ll need to utilize the Cynoroid’s arsenal, including a laser chainsaw, to the full extent in order to get through. There are a total of 24 stages over the course of 3 chapters.

The game is filled with depictions of gore, notably when slaughtering enemies, as pieces of flesh and intestines scatter from their bodies, turning the ground blood red. Although ammunitions are plentiful, healing items are not. So the Cynoroid must rely on enemy corpses for self-recovery. As you can see, the grotesque nature of the game’s world is depicted through both the graphics and game mechanics. According to their latest press release, Cynoroid Forsaken also makes use of drone music to set the mood.

I (the original author of this article) played the first 2 chapters on normal difficulty using an alpha build of the game, and found it easy to control and responsive. Enemy hitboxes are quite large, so it’s easy to land headshots. I had no trouble progressing through the game, partially due to how easy it is to heal yourself. The game depicts a dire situation in a gruesome world but is likely being made with a wide range of players in mind.

Crush-vAdin is a doujin group established by a Japanese game developer that goes by the name Bhaskara. Their previous works include Cynoroid – Gentagelse- and Cynoroid Gaiden, both of which are available on Steam. Their latest title Cynoroid Forsaken can be found here on Steam.