Publisher Clear River Games and developer Bitwave Games have revealed the first gameplay trailer for Gimmick! 2, the long-awaited (and somewhat surprise) sequel to Sunsoft's 8-bit platformer.

Originally revealed with a teaser trailer at this year's Limited Run Games showcase, this is our first look at what the Gimmick! 2 has in store. Aside from the clear visual facelift, this sequel seems to still be full to the brim with platforming puzzles. There are star-chucking challenges, moving platforms, perilous pits of lava — all of the stuff you'd expect to see a cute little guy have to go through.

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There is also an extremely upbeat soundtrack from legendary composer David Wise that had us tapping our toes right from the jump. Clear River Games has also shared a brief little video introduction to the legendary composer, which you can watch at the bottom of this article.

There's no Kirby coming our way this year (as far as we know), but this looks like it could scratch that itch while we wait for Nintendo to announce the pink puffball's next inevitable remake.

Here's a rundown of the game's features and a look at some screenshots from its Steam page.

A Classic Challenge Modernised
In Gimmick! 2, you once again meet the green little yokai Yumetaro. Decades after his first adventure he now sets out on a new quest in a world packed with interesting challenges, dangerous enemies, and hidden treasures. The game can be played in either a friendlier assisted mode, or if you’re up for a challenge play in the true-to-the-original “Gimmick!” mode!

Star Physics
As a yokai, Yumetaro has the ability to summon and throw a powerful star that not only bounces, but also keeps the momentum of his movement. The Star can be used to activate switches, defend against enemies and even be ridden to get to those hard-to-reach places while exploring the secrets of the world. You can discover treasure, find shortcuts or set speed records by mastering the star's bouncing physics. Experiment with it to unlock its full potential. This is a game with true star power!

A Legendary Soundtrack
The composer David Wise hardly needs any introduction. In his work on the Gimmick! 2 soundtrack, he has both written completely new melodies and remade old classics. The soundtrack was creatively directed by Pelle Cahndlerby and recorded live in Sweden together with Joel Bille.

Blast from the Past
The original Gimmick! game was released for the Famicom™ in 1992. It was localized and released in the West - but only in Scandinavia. This, combined with the fact that the game's physics and gameplay mechanics were far ahead of its time, made the game both fabled and beloved. With Gimmick! 2, however, there is no longer any doubt: this is a game that the whole world should have the chance to experience.

It all looks like it has the potential to be really rather good, even if we were hoping to see the pixel art visuals make a comeback. There's still no precise release date on this one just yet outside of "2024", but we'll be keeping an eye out over the coming months for more information.

Following its announcement last month, the NES original's creator, director, and designer Tomomi Saka confessed that he had no knowledge a sequel was in the works and wasn't consulted on the process. Bitwave Games later issued a formal apology, stating, "We deeply respect Tomomi Sakai's work—Gimmick! 2 would not exist without him. In hindsight, we should've done better".

We last heard from the Gimmick series last year when little Yumetaro returned to our screens in Gimmick! Special Edition. We loved this slice of nostalgia, giving it an 8/10 in our review, calling it "a salient example of what made the 8-bit era so wonderful". Here's hoping that the sequel can capture some of that magic.

Will you be picking up this sequel later this year? Hop down to the comments and let us know.