A “spiritual sequel” to Zombies Ate My Neighbors is in the works

It’s been 27 years since Zombies Ate My Neighbors released for the SNES and Sega Mega Drive, and aside from the panned pseudo-sequel Ghoul Patrol, nothing much has come close to capturing its essence. A new development studio wants to change that.

Tuned-Out Games has announced the development of what they’re calling an “unofficial spiritual sequel to Zombies Ate My Neighbors,” not-so-subtly titled Demons Ate My Neighbors! — or DAMN! for short. According to the game’s developers, this new, retro-inspired shooter is “one part the vibe of Zombies Ate My Neighbors, one part deep rogue-like Binding of Isaac, and a dash of the co-op wackiness of ToeJam & Earl,” which frankly sounds like one heck of a good time.

Demons Ate My Neighbors! is scheduled to start a run of fundraising on Kickstarter on the 1st of September with a goal of $175,000 USD, and the game is slated to launch in full on the Nintendo Switch and PC in Q3 2021. That’s quite some time away, but what’s another year when you’ve waited this long anyway?

You can check out the game’s teaser trailer (complete with incredible ZAMN-style music) and the details of the game’s press release below.

CALIFORNIA — 12 August —Demons Ate My Neighbors!, the retro-inspired twin-stick roguelite shooter developed by Tuned-Out Games and incubated with the support of Greg Johnson of HumaNature Studios (Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove!), brings nostalgic cult arcade horror to PC and Nintendo Switch™ in Q3 2021.
1991 — it seems like any other sweltering July in the sleepy suburbs of Fairweather Valley…until a cursed VHS unleashes untold horrors upon the neighborhood, turns the residents evil, and generally makes April & Joey’s summer a total bummer. Our heroes must exorcise their neighbors from hell, fight their way back to the haunted High School and rewind their summer to save the world!

Two heads are better than dead. Team up in local co-op, then pump, refill, and spill ‘em all with Splasha squirt guns, loaded with an infinite supply of holy water. Pump past the limit with Overpump and unleash holy hydro hell. Swap & pop Nozzles to drench demons with different shots, effects, and Overblasts – then upgrade the Splasha’s stats with Nitro Splashtanks found throughout the ‘burbs of Fairweather.

Getting lost finding possessed citizens in procedurally-generated levels? Not with the radical Radar Radio called the RadWatch. Level it up by slaying monsters to boost its range and ability to find survivors. Depending on your choices, some citizens will Tune-Out! – and transform to climactic combat challenges where one of three choices must be made: DAMN, DELIVER, or DIE. Be kind and rewind by draining their recharging stamina with a Holy Hi-Fi arsenal to DELIVER them from evil, or blast through with Lethal Lo-Fi weaponry to let them stay DAMNED.

Don’t worry about death – with infinite timelines, another April & Joey are ready to DAMN! or DELIVER all over again. This time, smash through and loot the ‘hood. Knock over mailboxes, trashcans, and more to find household weapons that exploit monster weaknesses. Freeze Zombos, zap Zaplings and vaporize Vampunks with Garlic Pizza. Collect VHS tokens from Boss Demons to unlock new permanent meta upgrades in the hideout.
Evoking moody ‘80s / ‘90s teen-horror with Saturday morning cartoons and a manic, humorous tone, Demons Ate My Neighbors! Honors ‘90s co-op classics as only an unofficial SPIRITual sequel could. 16-bit characters feel right at home in this ever-changing top-down 3D world of nightmare nostalgia featuring a funky, thrilling dynamic soundtrack by Sonic Mania veteran Tee Lopes, Varien, Nice Legs, and Papoose & Remy Ma!

Demons Ate My Neighbors!’ Kickstarter opens on Tuesday, September 1. Tuned-Out Games hopes to raise $175,000 to add more levels, monsters, and other terrors. Stretch goals include Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 ports, online co-op, new characters, new weapons, and even secret funky alien bosses that might rhyme with GlowJam & Pearl. Pledges for a digital copy of the game start at $15 and go all the way up to $7,500 for anyone who wants to help design a boss.

“Demons Ate My Neighbors! brings back a fun, thrilling vibe that we miss from ’80s & ‘90s camp horror,” said Kian Matthew Naderi, Game Director at Tuned-Out Games. “We want to take a fresh, surprising spin on a classic co-op formula by adding random levels, meta-progression, a succinct story, inspired new characters, monsters and innovative gameplay on top of a funky, campy nostalgic aesthetic. If you’re sick of Demons Eating YOUR Neighbors – Join the @Watch on Twitter. Get pumped!”