Hey, everyone! Were proud to let you all know that Janosik 2 is a part of the Steam Next Fest June 2024! Heres a short info on what to expect from the traditional shepherds hat-wearing brave who joins forces with a reluctant vampire and burly werewolf to conquer evil minions of nefarious Countess Bathory and her fairy tale minions. Janosik 2 picks right after the events of the first game, and its story starts with, let's call it: "a date which went terribly wrong". In the updated demo you can check out the first 3 out of 24 maps of Janosik 2 and get a taste of whats ahead! Lets step into this mythic pixel art land of the Slavic Highlander and see what challenges, threats, and enemies you can expect in the sequel.

Old-school precision platforming

Janosik 2 will require good management of your speed, momentum, and jumping distance, as well as good reaction time. A single mistake can lead to falling into a trap or not reaching a desired spot. A lot of platforming elements are in constant motion so it adds another layer of complexity to traversing the levels. The encounters in Janosik 2 are varied and require a good deal of bold moves and quick decision-making. You will frequently need to show your platforming prowess to collect shiny treasures and liberate imprisoned companions. Youll need to keep your eyes peeled at all times because the danger can come from every direction.
To make the challenge of Janosik 2 more manageable, we've added a lot of save points throughout the levels to make the backtracking easier. During your journey, you will find golden coins, pricy jewels, and hefty treasures scattered around the landscapes. Make sure to fill your gold sack with coins, as some vendors have put a price on their prized possessions such as a throwable Shepherds Axe, a Bow, a Shield, or an heirloom that lets you freeze your foes in air. Gold can also help you reach some parts of the levels by unlocking passages when interacting with NPCs or fairy tale wonders like a wishing well.
Janosik 2 will let you explore the beautiful Slavic landscapes in their fullness as some parts of the world are interconnected by doors and passages, closed when approached for the first time. Youll need to keep playing to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Threats on your way

During your adventure, you will face not-so-friendly dogs wandering around, rats lurking in the underground tunnels, nasty fish with sharp teeth hunting underwater, venomous spiders in dungeons and caves, and more. You will also fight many human enemies like the soldiers of the nefarious Countess Bathory, and her sidekick, de Blonde. In addition to living foes, there are also plenty of traps and deadly spots along the way. Youll need to keep an eye out on all sorts of spikes coming from walls, ceilings, and floors, huge boulders dropping from the ceiling while you rush through corridors, fireball-spitting gargoyles, the shaky and crumbling floor, disappearing platforms, or spider webs that will slow you down a bunch. not to mention that, sometimes, the floor obviously is lava ;)
Underwater exploration will not be easy, as you will encounter various obstacles, menacing creatures, and need to manage the oxygen supply. Collect air bubbles floating nearby to make sure you can reach the surface safely or take a risk diving deeper to grab precious trinkets.
Of course, sometimes you can take it slow and beat some parts of the levels carefully. On the other hand, many sequences combining enemies and obstacles will require constant movement. But you will learn all that soon enough. Were planning a Janosik-packed summer this year, so wishlist and follow the game to stay up to date with all the news. We have a lot of awesome stuff to share in the coming weeks, starting with a Next Fest Demo! On that note, wed like to wish you a happy Steam Next Fest, as it is truly a time like no other. There are so many wonderful demos to check out, and we hope Janosik 2 will be on your list of demos to play. Enjoy, and see you next time!