A retro-inspired 2D bullet hell roguelite where you pilot a customizable ship, scavenge enemy cores to upgrade your arsenal, and chase bounties across a high-stakes space rogue odyssey.
Release Date:
To be announced
Developer:
Publisher:
Teaser | Trailer
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Coming Soon To Early Access

The developers of this game intend to release as a work in progress, developing with the feedback of players.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“We’re building a tightly tuned roguelite shoot-’em-up with high replayability and long-term progression. Early Access allows us to shape the game alongside players who care about build variety, space action, and meaningful feedback. We want to refine the experience based on real runs—not theoretical spreadsheets.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Our goal is to leave Early Access once the game reaches a level of completeness and polish we’re proud of. That could take several months or longer—it depends on how feedback evolves and what players value most. We’ll stay in Early Access as long as it takes to reach that threshold, but not forever.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“We plan to expand the game with additional playable ships, more enemy and boss encounters, new star systems, deeper faction variety, and a broader set of progression upgrades and challenge modes. We also intend to refine visuals, audio, and narrative elements based on community input. The final scope will evolve with player feedback—but please buy the game for what it is today, not what it might become later.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“At Early Access launch, the game will include:

- 2 or 3 playable ships
- 4 unique environments (planets and star systems)
- 4 bosses
- Dozens of upgradable weapons, implants, and passive systems
- Full roguelite loop with bounty and debt mechanics
- Core systems are playable, stable, and fun—but expect rough edges and ongoing tuning.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We expect the price to increase once the game is fully released, as more content and features are added. Early supporters get access at a lower price as thanks for helping shape the game.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Community feedback is core to our development. We’ll actively monitor Discord, Steam forums, and feedback forms to understand what’s working, what’s not, and where players want the game to go. Balancing, pacing, build variety, and difficulty tuning will all be heavily shaped by the community. We also plan to run occasional test builds and polls as we add new content.”
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This game is not yet available on Steam

Planned Release Date: To be announced

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About This Game

You're Captain Cole Hunter — broke, hunted, and heavily armed.

In this retro-fueled space roguelite, blast through bullet hell gauntlets, collect enemy cores to upgrade your ship, and repay a galaxy-sized debt to a syndicate that wants your hide more than your money.

The longer you fly, the hotter the chase gets. Make every shot count... or default in flames.

Cole Hunter: Payback is a 2D side-scrolling shoot-’em-up with roguelite structure, high-stakes upgrade loops, and space-opera swagger. You’ll pilot customizable ships across hostile star systems, dodging waves of enemy fire, scrapping for core drops, and cashing in bounties to chip away at your crushing debt to the galaxy’s nastiest creditors.

Featuring tight moment-to-moment gameplay, risk-reward magnetic pickups, and a snarky drone sidekick, Cole Hunter delivers a modern twist on the classics — blending R-Type precision with Enter the Gungeon progression and Firefly-flavored grit.

Every run is a run for your life. And your wallet.



Key Features

  • Shoot. Dodge. Collect. Upgrade.
    Harvest cores from fallen enemies mid-combat to evolve your arsenal. Trade firepower for loot at your own risk.

  • The Debt Doesn’t Sleep.
    A dynamic heat map tracks your overdue balance. Slack too long and Syndicate enforcers will hunt you down system by system.

  • Builds That Beg to Be Broken.
    Equip weapons, drones, and passive implants between runs. Mix and match for power combos—or total disasters.

  • Retro Pixel Art, Modern Execution.
    Hand-crafted visuals inspired by the golden age of shmups, tuned for today’s action junkies and roguelite obsessives.

  • Space Opera With a Snarl.
    Light narrative flavor story beats and banter between Cole and Lucy balance high-stakes action with dark humor and character.

  • Fast Runs, Deep Progression.
    5–10 minute combat loops packed with decisions and rewards. Ideal for one-more-run marathons or bite-sized chaos.

System Requirements

Windows
macOS
    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 or newer
    • Processor: Intel i5 2.0 Ghz or higher
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 1060 or higher
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 20 GB available space
    • Sound Card: integrated
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 or newer
    • Processor: Intel i5 2.0 Ghz or higher
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 1060 or higher
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 20 GB available space
    • Sound Card: integrated
    Minimum:
    • OS: macOS 13 Ventura (64-bit) or newer
    • Processor: Apple M1 (8-core CPU) / Intel Core i5-8259U @ 2 GHz
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Apple M1 8-core GPU / AMD Radeon Pro 560 4 GB (Metal Feature Set GPUFamily2 v2)
    • Storage: 12 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: Targets 60 FPS at 1080p; Intel iGPUs earlier than Iris Plus 655 not supported.
    Recommended:
    • OS: macOS 15 Sequoia
    • Processor: Apple M2 / M1 Pro / Intel Core i7 3 GHz
    • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Apple M2 10-core GPU or better / AMD Radeon RX 5700 8 GB
    • Storage: 12 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: 60 FPS locked at native Retina 1440p-2160p; compatible with Xbox, PlayStation and Switch Pro controllers via Bluetooth or USB-GIP.
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