Contra-Like Multiplayer Shooter Soldat Is Getting An Unlikely Sequel

If you played online PC shooters in the early '00s, you might remember Soldat, a free, one-of-a-kind 2D shooter where soldiers jetpack around and blast each other with sniper rifles from the sky. You might think of it as Worms meets Counter-Strike. Though the game has remained somewhat active even to this day--with a couple dozen players deathmatching at this very moment--the studio Transhuman Design has announced a surprise return for Soldat in 2020.

According to the developer, the original Soldat is coming to Steam in Q1 (meaning between now and the end of March 2020), with a sequel to follow in Q2 (April - June). Based on the announcement trailer, Soldat 2 will feature an all-new 2.5D artstyle, along with the same ease of modding support that defined the original. (In the original game, you can modify the weapon traits with any basic word processor to make your own custom game modes.) It's launching in Early Access, with original developer Michal "MM" Marcinkowski at the helm.

Given the harsh competition for multiplayer titles on Steam, it's unclear if Soldat will be able to find a large audience once more, but there still aren't many games like it, even almost 20 years later.