2Awesome Studio, a developing team in Barcelona, has stated that their cyberpunk Metroidvania with dating sim aspects, Altered Alma, will now come out in 2026. The longer schedule comes after the game's hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, which earned more than €260,000—650% of its original €40,000 goal.
The additional funding allowed 2Awesome Studio to stretch their goals, including Boss Rush Mode, improved map features, and photo mode. A developer from 2Awesome Studio said, "We had to move it to 2026 due to the increased scope after the Kickstarter." "The stretch goals allowed us to add more features that we are including and closing."
Altered Alma follows Jack (Jackelyne Tywood), a character that has been used by the development team before. She has already been on the shmup Dimension Drive and the platformer Aeon Drive. However, the developer clarified that each game exists in its own continuity. "It's technically the same Jack as DD and AD but not the same... kinda like a multiverse (Jackverse)," they explained. "The stories are independent from each other, no need to play the previous games to understand the story."
Antony Johnston (Resident Evil: Village, Dead Space) and Emma Beeby (Tails of Iron, F1 23) are both veterans of the industry who wrote the story for the game. 2Awesome Studio got the writing pair through their publisher, Critical Reflex, who helped them get in touch. “They were excited to give us a hand on the story,” the developer said.
Altered Alma takes place in Neo-Barcelona and combines classic Metroidvania adventure with RPG progression and romance mechanics for the crew. The romance system was inspired by studio leadership's love of Mass Effect 2, particularly the crew romance mechanics. The developer noted that having crewmates in Altered Alma created "the opportunity to do it."
Altered Alma will release on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. A demo is currently available on Steam.
