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December 10, 2025 | North American indie studio Little Legendary is pleased to announce that their 2D cyber-fantasy Metroidvania SHADE Protocol will be launching a Kickstarter campaign n Spring 2026. With a development team of only 5 members, this crowdfunding campaign will focus raising funds for the console ports, speeding up development time, additional content, hiring guest composers from known titles, and more.
The studio has prepared an impressive new trailer for this announcement, which includes plenty of in-engine gameplay sequences. The video has been recently premiered at the Latin American Game Awards, which is part of The Game Awards. It's linked further in the press release.
In the last months, the studio has been hard at work on several improvements, one of them has been applied to one of the game's most exciting features; cutting the world in half. They want players not only to cut the world, but also to cut enemies, environments, projectiles, and more.
"Since revealing SHADE Protocol a few months ago, the game has become one of the most wishlisted games in the world, showing us that we have something special in our hands and that we need to aim higher to deliver on the power fantasy that players expect. While we aim to make SHADE Protocol a reality no matter what, your support would go a long way to keeping our creative autonomy and craft the best game we can." - Kendall Quinones, Game Director.
Discover a where music, code, and combat collide. Swap between DAWN and SHADE forms to unleash devastating abilities, wield Instruments as weapons, and rewrite reality itself in a world on the brink of annihilation by the SHADE Protocol. The game introduces an interesting mechanic: the Protocols, thanks to them you will be able to encode your own playstyle, combining protocols and specialized code fragments, to alter your attacks, defenses, and abilities, but also recode enemies at your will, changing how they behave to allow you overcome the most dangerous threats.
Seamlessly switch between DAWN and SHADE modes, altering combat styles and gameplay dynamics. Wield Instruments, powerful code-based weaponry inspired by music, each serving a unique role in battle and exploration. Engage in high-speed, skill-based combat, parrying and countering enemies in a world that demands mastery. Explore vast, interconnected Bastions, where every discovery alters the fate of the war between SHADEs and Xaviors, and the all-consuming SHADE Protocol.
KEY FEATURES
- Dynamic Combat System – Mix precision melee combat with specialized Instruments, executing devastating combos, parries, and counters. Swap between DAWN and SHADE modes to adapt to different playstyles in real-time.
- UNISON System – Rewrite Reality – The world of SHADE Protocol exists as code. Wield it to manipulate events, relive key moments, and choose their ultimate outcome, shaping the fate of entire factions.
- Unique Defensive Mechanics – Perfectly timed parries and counters restore Echo, a vital energy source for powerful Instrument attacks and defensive maneuvers.
- Instruments – Weapons That Sing – Wield an arsenal of musical weapons, including the Twilight Spear, Sunrise Great Axe, and Midnight Chakram, each with distinct combat and exploration abilities.
The war is lost. The song is rewritten. Will you take the stage?
ABOUT LITTLE LEGENDARY
Little Legendary is an independent game studio creating genre-defying experiences for PC and next-generation consoles. Our mission is simple: craft unforgettable games. We believe indie teams should challenge convention, take bold risks, and focus on delivering moments players will remember long after the credits roll. Specializing in single-player adventures, we build rich, fantastical worlds filled with compelling characters and unpredictable stories. By pushing the boundaries of the genres we love, we aim to inspire awe and wonder—reminding players why they fell in love with games in the first place.
