Bitmap Bureau’s beautiful licensed beat-‘em-up He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction will bring its bleached blonde hair to PS5 this 28th April, publisher Limited Run Games has announced.
We went hands-on with this one about a year ago at Gamescom, and came away extremely impressed with its retro-inspired action, noting that it had “muscled its way right to the top of our wishlist”.
The game features full solo or local co-operative play, and harks back to an era of arcade gaming where giant sprites ruled supreme. It really does look and play like a classic Capcom or Konami coin-op.
The full game will feature four playable characters – He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Teela, and (an unlockable) She-Ra – each with their own unique abilities and move sets, adding ample replayability. There’ll also be 12 stages, featuring iconic foes like Skeletor and Trap Jaw.
Here’s how the press release sums up the story:
“When Skeletor uncovers the ancient Dragon Pearl of Destruction, a relic of unspeakable power, he joins forces with Evil-Lyn to plunge all of Eternia into eternal darkness, and only He-Man, Man-At-Arms and Teela can save the planet.”
With this coming out and retro compilations like Marvel MaXimum Collection on the way, it’s shaping up to be a helluva year for retro beat-‘em-ups.