DEVIL BLADE REBOOT

DEVIL BLADE REBOOT is a vertically scrolling single-player shooter by Shigatake. It started as Devil Blade, an indie project made in 1996 with the PlayStation tool Dezaemon Plus. The PC reboot released in 2024 keeps the clear core principle: dodge enemy projectiles, shoot down enemies and reach the next section.

Beneath the classic form lies a score-based system that explicitly rewards risky play. The Reboot version combines elaborately animated pixel graphics, precise shot patterns and changing backdrops into six consecutive stages.

The PC version was released on Steam on May 23, 2024. It contains the technically reworked Reboot and a Retro mode that reinterprets the 1996 Dezaemon original. These are two game variants within one product.

On October 10, 2026, M2 presented a console version under the provisional name DEVIL BLADE REBOOT Consumer Edition at its ShotTriggers anniversary event. A binding release date, a complete list of native consoles and a concrete release format have not yet been confirmed. The 2024 PC release must not be presented as a console launch.

Released is a native Windows PC version via Steam. The store lists full controller support and marks the game as Steam Deck compatible or Steam Deck verified. This is not a separate release for Linux or a game console.

M2 is developing a future console version. Which platforms it will ultimately appear on has not yet been fully decided at the announcement. That is why neither a PS4 or PS5 release nor any Switch, Switch 2 or Xbox products are listed as confirmed here.

The game structure follows the arcade principle: the spaceship moves through vertically scrolling sections, dodges projectiles and destroys mechanical enemies. Two shot types and bombs make up the weapon arsenal. If you want to practice the stages, you can select them individually; the story mode takes you through all six one after another.

Four selectable difficulty levels set the basic framework. In addition there are freely configurable options, unlockable content and a global leaderboard in the Steam version. This way the game aims at both the first full playthrough and repeated score runs.

Steam lists the minimum requirements as Windows 10 or newer in 64-bit, an Intel Celeron N3450, 4 GB RAM, a DirectX 11-compatible graphics solution and 300 MB of free storage. The recommended specs include an Intel Core i3 processor with likewise 4 GB RAM and DirectX 11.

The details refer to the 2024 PC version. For the planned Consumer Edition, there are no verified technical target values that could be adopted here.

Shooting down enemies from a safe distance is possible, but earns fewer points than a very close hit. Those who deliberately fly close to enemies and destroy them there increase the points they can earn with the so-called Berserk system. At the same time, the difficulty pressure rises.

The system affects both sides of the match. If you only want to survive, you do not have to push the multiplier. If you aim for the leaderboard, your own aggressive playstyle also changes the challenge. This combination of scoring system and dynamic danger is one of the game's central features.

The Retro mode recreates the atmosphere of the version made with Dezaemon Plus on the first PlayStation. Shigatake did not simply add it as an unchanged archive piece, but added the Berserk system to it. As a result, the look back is also a newly arranged variant.

The Reboot makes up the other half of the package: it keeps the basic action but expands the graphic presentation and the interplay of music and level changes. Both modes are part of the existing PC release, not separate DLCs to buy.

Shigatake uses a pixel aesthetic designed for 320 × 240 pixels, but combines multiple scroll layers, raster effects, scaling and seemingly spatial transitions. The movement of backgrounds, the spaceship and enemies creates a pseudo-3D presentation without turning the game into a polygon action game.

The official project page names hasu for the music. The game engine used was Shooting Game Builder (StgBuilder). This technical origin is part of the lasting profile of the PC version; details on a possible engine change for M2's port have not yet been fully published.

The plot takes place in a futuristic world dominated by the alliances Eminess and Zork. In a war, Eminess risks failing against the enemy's larger military force. The last hope is a small, especially powerful fighter named Shining, who is meant to carry out a targeted attack on the enemy leadership.

The story gives the six stages a framework, but it is not the focus of the game system. The emphasis is on shot patterns, positioning and the next possible score jump.

Shigatake is responsible for development and publishing of the Steam game under the name SHIGATAKE GAMES. For the new console version, M2 is working on an adaptation in the context of its ShotTriggers series. The company has focused on classic shooters for years and presented the planned port at its anniversary event in October 2026.

This creates a new stage of development for a game that has already been reworked twice: in 1996 as a hobby project, in 2024 as a PC reboot, and now as an announced but still undated Consumer Edition. Which additional console features the port will get remains open.

The Steam version offers a German user interface and German subtitles. It also lists English, Japanese, French, Italian, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese, among others. Steam does not list fully voiced dialogue.

DEVIL BLADE REBOOT is built for one player and in the Steam version supports controllers, achievements and online leaderboards. A co-op mode or a separate multiplayer port has not been confirmed.