AK-xolotl Has You Play with Endangered Salamanders Equipped with AK-47s
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AK-xolotl Has You Play with Endangered Salamanders Equipped with AK-47s

AK-xolotl is a new roguelite that features a mix of insanely cute salamanders with gratuitous violence, and tons of cooking.

AK-xolotl Has You Play with Endangered Salamanders Equipped with AK-47s

Here we have an endangered species of salamander in the far reaches of Mexico: the AK-xolotl. These fascinating and curious creatures are extremely tiny and cute but are definitely a carnivorous bunch.

These creatures are also heavily armed protagonists of the upcoming roguelite shooter, AK-xolotl.

Run and Gun

Insane premise aside, the upcoming AK-xolotl looks like a very solid top-down shooter. It features pixel art highly reminiscent of Moonlighter (or even the upcoming League of Legends game Mageseeker), that is bright, vibrant, and full of life. It is especially fitting as the game has you collect and raise your own litter of AK-xolotls, amphibians armed with mighty AK-47s and other weapons.

An Angry AK-xolotl in the Wild
An Angry AK-xolotl in the Wild

The game has you control a little AK-xolotl as they travel through different environments. You then go out in search of food, shooting down anything and everything that stands in your way. These tiny beasts are no slough, as they look like they are on a constant rampage.

Firin' Mah Lazers!
Firin’ Mah Lazers!

The AK-xolotl are not limited to using AK-47s either. We can choose a huge variety of weapons to hunt down the perfect meal. Options range from assault rifles, longswords, hammers, sniper rifles, knives, chainsaws, crossbows, and more. That also doesn’t take into account the various powers that you can collect.

Powering Up the AK-xolotl

Being a roguelite, there will always be a degree of randomness. Especially since the premise of AK-xolotl is quite chaotic, it is justly apt that the game offers you a huge number of wacky power-ups to enhance your little lizard.

Switch Your AK-xolotl's Class
Switch Your AK-xolotl’s Class

Completing a level will usually grant you a choice of three different powerups, generated at random. We can give our salamander a nice, fully charged Battery. This item will make it so that you will occasionally shock nearby enemies. Toss them a chili and the very ground you walk on will be covered in flames. Equip them with Heavy Boots and you suddenly become immune to ground hazards! You might even partake in a Blood Ritual to replenish your HP.

AK-xolotl Has Tons of Powerups
AK-xolotl Has Tons of Powerups

The full game will have dozens of power-ups available to you. It will be quite entertaining to see the number of insane combinations you can come up with.

The Top of the Food Chain

As our cute little AK-xolotl is quite the carnivore, he is literally on top of the food chain. All sorts of animals are potential meals for our cuddly friends, and the bigger the better.

Burn these Silly Raccoons
Burn these Silly Raccoons

While we can face small and tiny creatures, such as ducks, baby crocodiles, and raccoons, there is larger prey to take down. All of which are fully armed as well. For example, one of the major bosses is a massive crab named Pond Pincher. This suave crustacean wields a massive knife and a stylish mustache.

Battle Unique Bosses
Battle Unique Bosses

Emerging victorious through your hunts will yield many fantastical ingredients to create delicious meals. Crafting the best food items will let you unlock permanent, persistent upgrades that will last between runs.

Swimming Happily

You live in a simple habitat known only as “The Pond”. This will be your starting and only hub area in the game, filled with friends and services alike.

Welcome to the Pond
Welcome to the Pond

More importantly, you will also collect various AK-xolotl eggs throughout your journey. There, you can raise cute baby axolotls, and even bring some of them with you on your adventures.

Kickstarting the AK-xolotl

AK-xolotl is actually another Kickstarter success story. We have some established games, like Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, Darkest Dungeon, or even the upcoming Elden Ring Board Game and Crowsworn. As of writing, a demo is available on Steam for any interested salamanders.

Shooting and Hunting At Its Finest
Shooting and Hunting At Its Finest

Developers 2Awesome Studio started out their campaign with a humble goal of €15,000. Overwhelming fan support, however, got them almost ten times that amount. 2500 backers pledged a total of €132,807, unlocking a ton of stretch goals.

AK-xolotl is planned for a PC release via Steam, as well as the PlayStation consoles, and the Nintendo Switch. A physical collector’s edition is also planned that includes some art, stickers, and more.

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