Awaysis: 17-BIT’s Physics-Powered Brawler

If you’ve been hunting a fresh take on dungeon brawlers, Awaysis deserves your attention. Kyoto-based 17-BIT—behind Skulls of the Shogun and GALAK-Z—is promising physics-driven combat, ever-shifting arenas, and a dedicated chiptune score. After years of retro titles playing it safe, this project aims to shake up the genre—though pulling off true physics-based action is no small feat.

Key Features

• Reactive physics: Collisions, bounces, and knockbacks power each encounter beyond canned animations.
• Dynamic arenas: Shifting platforms in the floating relic Awaysis keep every run unpredictable.
• Chiptune soundtrack: Metroid and EarthBound veteran Chip Tanaka scores the action.
• Cross-platform release: Coming soon to Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and Steam.

Few brawlers lean into true physics. While many dungeon crawlers hide behind pixel-art nostalgia, Awaysis pairs “arcade-tight controls” with reactive collisions—your strikes send enemies flying, pinging off walls and hazards. If tuned well, this could rival Gang Beasts’ satisfying chaos; if not, combat risks becoming slippery and imprecise.

Awaysis’s arena design is equally ambitious. Rather than static rooms, you’ll fight across a floating relic whose platforms rise, rotate, and shatter. This verticality and environmental change promise emergent scenarios—imagine Spelunky’s surprise disasters fused with TowerFall’s precision platforming. Too much unpredictability, however, could undermine the mastery that makes brawlers so addictive.

Setting and atmosphere also matter in today’s crowded indie scene. The lore of the Awaysis relic hints at drifting ruins filled with hidden dangers, but it must feel as alive in gameplay as it does on paper. If 17-BIT can recreate the tense mood of their past hits, the game could stand out beyond its physics gimmick.

Graphically, Awaysis pairs stylized pixel characters with smooth physics animations. Enemies shatter into fragments, objects respond believably, and particle effects hint at a living dungeon. If the team maintains a stable 60fps on all platforms, each blow and ricochet should satisfy both sight and touch.

Dynamic difficulty systems have proved hit-or-miss. Awaysis suggests adaptive challenges that respond to your performance, potentially smoothing the learning curve without cheap deaths. Yet if poorly tuned, it could feel like random punishment rather than a fair test of skill, with sudden spikes in health or damage overloading players.

17-BIT has a track record of reinventing classics. Skulls of the Shogun blended turn-based tactics with samurai humor, and GALAK-Z reimagined roguelite shooters. With CULT Games publishing, the studio has room to experiment. And Chip Tanaka—whose Metroid and EarthBound scores are legendary—could elevate Awaysis from just another indie brawler to an audio-rich adventure.

Final Thoughts

For gamers tired of by-the-numbers brawlers, Awaysis aims for bold innovation. If you crave the tactile mayhem of physics mayhem or the procedural drama of shifting dungeons, this could set a new benchmark. But if tight, skill-driven combat tops your wishlist, the physics gamble might feel risky. With 17-BIT’s pedigree and Chip Tanaka’s music backing it, Awaysis has real potential—but the true test will be whether its systems blend into satisfying, skill-based gameplay. Keep an eye on this one, but wait for hands-on impressions before buying into the hype.