Nicalis and Japanese developer Studio Saizensen have announced a crossover fighting game named Blade Strangers.

The game features various characters from Studio Saizensen’s library of unique releases, including characters from Cave Story, Code of Princess, and Umihara Kawase, and more. It’s set for a Q4 2017 release across PC, PlayStation 4, and the Nintendo Switch.

It’s worth pointing out the now defunct Agatsuma Entertainment were the publisher of Studio Saizensen. The rights to their games have remained with Saizensen, as such a crossover fighting game like Blade Strangers is still possible.

Here’s a rundown on the game, via Nicalis:

The stunning character animation in Blade Strangers is created using a proprietary process. 3D character models are used to render individual animation frames, which are then rasterized into sprites and manually touched up by experienced 2D artists. The result is smooth and realistic animation in which every single frame looks like a gorgeous anime illustration.

The game uses a four-button control scheme in which all attacks are triggered by various combinations of action buttons. By avoiding the use of traditional quarter-circle and half-circle input commands, Nicalis and Studio Saizensen hope that the less complex controls of Blade Strangers will allow new players to get into the fighting game genre. The development team’s goal is to revitalize a once-mighty fan community that has the potential to grow even larger.

Another benefit of the simplified controls in Blade Strangers is reduced lag in online multiplayer competition, since there’s less data to transmit between opponents. The finished game will combine the excitement and subtle dynamics of a classic one-on-one brawler with the polish and features that a current-gen fighting game deserves.

Here are the first screenshots:

Finally, you can view the game’s debut footage below: