Publisher Sekai Project and developer illuCalab. announced a release date for Alice Escaped!, their new anime girl metroidvania game.

Alice Escaped! is launching on January 27th, 2023 across Windows PC (via Steam) and Nintendo Switch.

Here’s a rundown on the game, plus a new trailer:

Alice Escaped!

Alice Escaped! is an exploratory 2D action Metroidvania. Follow the adventures of Usada and Kotora, who have wandered into a strange wonderland of grimoires and must chase after a mysterious girl named Alice in order to return to their own world.

What awaits them in this mysterious world are strange yet familiar characters, such as Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, and Humpty Dumpty. Are they friends or foes? And why does the white rabbit Usamura have a zipper on his back?

And who exactly is this enigmatic girl hiding Alice in the deepest part of the world? Why is everyone trapped here, and— Well, you’ll have to play it to find out the rest!

A stylish, tag-team battle system!

Swing Usada’s giant hammer to pulverize your enemies with powerful melee attacks, or use Kotora’s submachine gun and bombs to take out enemies froma distance. Switch between the two to chain impressive combos!

Taking out enemies builds up your Chance Gauge, which can be used to perform supporting attacks and devastating ultimate attacks. (Feature not included in the demo.)

The intensity builds in boss fights: whittle down their Shield Gauge to break their shields, letting you unleash a flurry of attacks. But beware: they’ve got a variety of powerful attacks to hit you back!

Characters

• Usada & Kotora – Two friendly girls who have wandered into a mysterious world
• Usamura-san – A strange rabbit with a zipper on his back.
• Cheshire Cat – A cryptic feline who appears before Usada and Kotora and enjoys testing her skills against them. Perhaps she has another goal aside from just getting in their way…?

Story

One summer’s day, Usada and Kotora go to the library to do their homework. While Kotora takes her studies seriously, Usada has her head in the clouds. She wanders over to a bookshed deep inside, returning with a big, thick book.

“I found this interesting-looking book!”

Kotora looks back at her quizzically. Suddenly, a slip of paper falls out from the book. The letter reads:

“Find Alice.”

As soon as they read the words, the two are enveloped in a blinding light.

Features

• Character illustrations by the talented PicPicGram (Ninja Girl, Japanese School Life) (Ninja Girl, Japanese School Life)
• Developed by illuCalab (A Magical High School Girl) (A Magical High School Girl)
• Two playable characters
• Two difficulties to choose from