Hero image: Elta: Defy All Gods key art. Image: Afterburner Studios
Afterburner Studios Opens The Doors To Its “Brawlervania”
A free demo for Elta: Defy All Gods is out now on PS5. Afterburner Studios announced it in a PlayStation Blog post on 1 October, which also dates the full game for 2 February 2027.
The demo covers the very beginning of the game. Players retrieve the lost dragon-god they worship, fight corrupted enemies and explore Lerna, described as “a glacial world filled with hidden secrets, ancient ruins, and industrial remnants.”
The studio has coined its own name for the genre. The post calls the game a “brawlervania”, mixing the combat of a brawler with the platforming and exploration of a search-action game across three sci-fi worlds.
Combat trades weapons for hand-to-hand martial arts. The warrior monk Victus has three martial arts stances, each with its own skill tree, plus magic attacks that release built-up energy.
Movement draws on classic platformers, with a double jump, dash, wall run and grapple. Elta, the dragon companion, adds abilities for hitting harder and getting into places that were previously inaccessible.
The listed inspirations include Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, God of War, Darksiders and Jak and Daxter. Outside games, the team points to shōnen anime, Dragon Ball Z in particular, and Hong Kong martial arts films from the Ip Man saga to Shaw Brothers classics.
Afterburner is a small team. The post says it has three co-founders and a dozen core members, and that Elta has been through constant iteration over five years.
Publisher Focus Entertainment lent the studio its design, production and QA experience, according to the post. The Australian PlayStation Store page credits Afterburner as the indie team behind Dreamscaper.
On PS5, the DualSense haptics are said to give punches and platform landings “a real tactile weight”.
Pre-orders include the Vanguard Armor, a cosmetic skin for Victus. The Australian PlayStation Store page lists no price yet and shows the release only as 2027.
Source: PlayStation Blog – Elta: Defy All Gods free PS5 demo, PlayStation Store – Elta: Defy All Gods, PlayStation on YouTube – Elta: Defy All Gods Demo Trailer