This week, developer Beyond The Pixels announced that, after fan feedback, their upcoming debut title ‘Astro Burn’ has evolved into a 16-bit style “cute ’em up” game. As the team put it:
With the first demo arriving in September 2025, the fur-filled shooter has never taken itself too seriously, putting players in charge of Astro the space cat in a retro-inspired shooter featuring frantic action, a plethora of power-ups and eye-searingly beautiful pixel art. With the demo available on Steam®, an army of gamers flocked to experience Astro Burn, giving game creator HaZ Dulull and the team at Beyond The Pixels valuable feedback via Firstlook.gg playtesting platform and the game’s Discord channel as the game continued development.
“In September of last year, we were so excited to deliver our first demo for Astro Burn and were humbled at how many gamers swallowed the catnip and blasted off to solve the mysterious invasion, bring peace to the galaxy and discover a cosy place by the fire to enjoy a saucer of milk,” commented HaZ Dulull. “Gamers reacted so strongly to Astro as a character, but wanted more fur, more critters and more joy, so we’ve pivoted from our original design and transformed Astro Burn into a fully-fledged 16-bit style cute ‘em up!”
A new Steam demo is live, by the way! Check out the details below on Astro Burn. The game will launch on PC, macOS, mobile and console starting from Spring 2026. Plus, a Kickstarter for physical goodies will go live sometime soon.
Beyond The Pixels are not stopping there however, with plans to expand Astro Burn into a critter-cal and commercial colossus there’s a host of Astro Burn merchandise, collectibles and cross-media plans already in the early stages. Excitingly, the team at Beyond The Pixels will shortly be launching a Kickstarter campaign, aiming to bring the charms of Astro Burn to physical release via a collectible 16-bit style USB cartridge!
Here’s What to Expect with Astro Burn:
Blistering side-scrolling shoot-’em-up inspired by 16-bit classics.
Roguelite challenge to get your claws into.
Two Player Co-Op Arcade mode: Double the kitty chaos! Share weapons and work together to take down the evil machines or go into competitive co-op.
One button action makes the controls kitty simple to master, with a “Stack-em-up” weapons system.
Rich storyline featuring Wizard of Oz style lore led by a sassy, feline badass packed with cat-tastic quips and purr-fect puns at every turn! Coupled with her logical thinking robot companion makes for fun character moments designed to delight and surprise.
Prepare to defy screen-filling mecha pandas, hyperactive huskies wagging up solar vortexes, opera-singing cat-mermaids, and underwater giant cute Octopus firing deadly bubbles – all delivered with the wonderfully unhinged, anything-goes spirit of the 90s arcade classics.
Battle through ten incredible levels from deep space and mechanical worlds to Earth’s skies, underwater realms, sprawling cities, and beyond.
Enjoy three to five hours of action-packed gameplay, with even more hours to sink in through skill mastery, level replays, unlockables and additional game modes.
Hi-Score leaderboard with Time (hello speed-runs!)
Build up your Catnip power bar to unleash feline fury of special powers!
Banging synth-wave retro cool soundtrack by Venice Bleach.
HaZ Dulull continued, “Naturally Astro Burn will be available for download on Steam and other digital platforms, but we feel our debut title is shaping up to be something special and as die-hard fans of physical, we’re determined to bring something real and tangible to gamers who prefer to own and collect their software. Premium physical releases let us give players something more meaningful than a download — something they can own, display and feel proud of. This isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It’s about tapping into the retro-cool resurgence happening across games, film, and TV, and using it to create a deeper emotional connection with our audience. For us, physical releases aren’t a side idea — they’re part of how we build lasting IP and a loyal community.”
