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Press release:
TOKYO – Mar. 21, 2023.
The Tokyo-based (Japan) indie games developer Phoenixx and Yokohama-based (Japan) indie games developer Neotro Inc, are today very happy and excited to announce that their nightmarish twin-stick shooter “NeverAwake”, is coming to Xbox consoles (Xbox Series X/S and the Xbox One) via the Microsoft Store in Q2 2203.

Capturing the hearts of critics and fans alike, NeverAwake earned numerous awards including an entry to the Famitsu Golden Hall of Fame in January 2023, the Tokyo Game Show 2022 First Selection designation, best game of BitSummit 2022, and a Metacritic score of 84 overall, securing a spot in the top 40 best reviewed PC games of 2022.

Enter the subconscious realm of unlucky school girl Rem, whose deepest fears become her reality. Unable to awaken from her slumber, face off against the manifestations of her childhood phobias. Fight against monstrous dentists, ghoulish vegetables, evil chihuahuas and other adolescent troubles in a never-ending nightmare.

Shoot and glide through the eerie machinations of her mind in fluid twin-stick SHMUP fashion. Combat Rem’s hallucinations with a surreal arsenal of weaponry. Equip armaments and upgrades to create epic attack patterns, then blast bad dreams while bobbing and weaving through enemy fire including dozens of terrifying bosses.

Navigate through more than 80 levels across a whimsical hand-drawn bullet hell, and unravel a deeply emotional narrative with multiple endings. The release of NeverAwake on Xbox will include the latest 1.1 content update featuring the secret HIMITSU CHALLENGE after clearing world 8, plus six new reality-bending accessories alongside gameplay optimizations and balance adjustments.

Venture into the dark recesses of Rem’s imagination with the official NeverAwake “Nightmare World Art” digital artbook and soundtrack featuring the tranquil melody “AWAKE” by DJ, singer-songwriter, and producer YonYon, streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

“We knew that NeverAwake was a special title the moment we saw it. It was a dream of ours to release NeverAwake on all consoles, and we are proud to be step closer to achieving that goal by coming to Xbox,” said Azusa Kawamura, Producer at Phoenixx.

“The touching narrative and smooth gameplay has received praise from players and reviewers alike, and Xbox users will get to enjoy the latest, most polished version of the game.”

NeverAwake is available now on PC via Steam for $19.99 and on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 for $24.99 with support for English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese language text. The emotional “Nightmare World Art” digital artbook is also for sale on Steam for $7.99, as well as the NeverAwake soundtrack also for $7.99. A bundle with the game, artbook, and soundtrack is available for a 15% discount.

To learn more, visit the Phoenixx official website, Phoenixx Facebook page, and follow @Phoenixx_inc on Twitter.

About Neotro Inc.
Neotro Inc. is a Japanese independent game development company based in Yokohama with a particular affection for arcade games and has previously released the 2D fantasy side-scrolling shooters VRITRA Complete Edition and VRITRA HEXA for exA-Arcadia. By bringing two words “Neo” and “Retro” together, Neotro Inc. chose their name to follow the saying “OnkoShuin”（温故知新, which translates to “learning from the past” and “carrying old wisdom to create new.”

About Phoenixx
Established in 2019 by industry veterans, Phoenixx aims to support innovative and creative developers from Japan and around the world. Its mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one creator, one game, and one community at a time.