If you blinked in 2023, you might have missed Nocturnal—a small but striking metroidvania from Swiss indie outfit Sunnyside Games. I still recall how its art direction felt hypnotic and how every ember of its sacred-flame mechanic hung in the air like a promise. Now, Sunnyside’s back with Nocturnal 2, and after their AG French Direct 2025 reveal, it’s clear they’ve shed the identity crisis and are aiming for the stars. Here’s why this sequel should be on every metroidvania lover’s radar—and what the studio needs to nail to keep the fire roaring.
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Developer | Sunnyside Games |
| Engine | Custom Unity |
| Release Window | Late 2025 |
| Platforms | PC, Nintendo Switch |
| Playtime | 20–25 hours (main story) |
| Zones | 50+ |
| Abilities | 30+ |
Where the original Nocturnal treated fire as a thematic flourish, Nocturnal 2 weaves it tightly into every system. Lighting torches still reveals hidden paths, but now you’ll channel the Enduring Flame to parry attacks, ignite platform conduits, and even absorb enemy fireballs to power your next spell. “We wanted each ability to feel alive,” says lead designer Clara Vogel. “When you thrust a burning spear into the earth, you’re not just unlocking a door—you’re awakening ancient runes that reshape the map.”
This focus on elemental synergy sets Nocturnal 2 apart from peers like Ender Lilies—where water and spirits dominate—or Death’s Door, which leans into melee weight. In Sunnyside’s sequel, fire is a living ecosystem. Early preview footage teases a “Conflagration Mode” combo meter that boosts damage and briefly turns Ardeshir’s cloak into a phoenix plumage, granting extra jump height. It’s reminiscent of Ori’s soul links, but driven by player timing rather than passive buffs.
The island of Ytash is the sequel’s sprawling playground: volcanic peaks, ash-clogged forests, and magma-flooded ruins. Unlike the linear progression of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Ytash loops back on itself with two dozen shortcut gates that open as new flame sigils activate. It’s a design philosophy closer to Hollow Knight’s Hallownest—dense, multi-layered, and begging for a second visit once you unlock your fourth dash ability.
Yet Sunnyside insists they’re not copying—they’re iterating. “We studied how Hollow Knight balanced difficulty spikes and found ways to smooth the curve without dumbing down exploration,” explains technical director Markus Frei. Expect key backtracking moments—like setting an entire cavern ablaze to reveal an alternate path—to feel organic rather than contrived. For fans of Axiom Verge 2’s looping world, Ytash offers a friendlier, flame-blessed approach to non-linear design.
In a recent two-hour hands-on preview, the devs showed off a suite of new mechanics: wall-cling vortex kicks, ground-slam incendiary waves, and a grappling hook that ignites on impact. “One dev joked that we’ve replaced the player’s Swiss Army knife with a flamethrower,” laughs Clara Vogel. But behind the humor lies serious iteration: Sunnyside doubled their QA team after player feedback on the first title flagged combat felt too static.
Art director Jean-Luc Wyss also revealed that the team expanded the particle system to render hundreds of embers in real time—no pre-baked shaders. “We wanted the fire to dance unpredictably,” he said, “so every leap and flameburst carries a hint of chaos.” That technical gamble could pay off in immersive atmosphere, but it also raises questions about performance consistency outside high-end PCs.
Ambition often courts risk. On Nintendo Switch, rendering dynamic ember fields and simultaneous sprite collisions could lead to frame drops—especially in the magma-tide arena demo we played, where we saw dips to 24 FPS under default settings. Sunnyside is testing a low-poly fallback and adjustable particle density, but the final balance won’t be confirmed until the beta later this year.
Difficulty tuning is another hurdle. The original Nocturnal’s challenge was modest, appealing to newcomers but frustrating some veterans. Nocturnal 2 promises harder boss encounters and optional gauntlets, but doubling down on difficulty could alienate the “mystery-solver” crowd. As Markus Frei admits, “We can’t please everyone—so we’re including customizable health and flame-regen settings for those who want a more laid-back run.”
Nocturnal 2 strikes a bold balance between style and substance. With a 50+ zone world, 30+ flame abilities, fluid combos, and a replay-friendly New Game+, Sunnyside Games aims to leap from indie curiosity to metroidvania must-play. Watch for performance tweaks on Switch, and hope the difficulty sliders land in the sweet spot. If you loved the sacred-fire aesthetic of the first game and crave deeper systems and tighter combat—Nocturnal 2 is one of late 2025’s most promising quests.
Source: Sunnyside Games developer preview & AG French Direct 2025
