Freedom Finger is a hand-drawn shoot 'em up with a stellar cast

Freedom Finger is a space shoot 'em up where you pilot an angry fist as it tears across the galaxy. It's trying pretty hard to be 'crazy', but also promises a great cast of voice actors, including Nolan North and John DiMaggio, and a soundtrack full of licensed music from the likes of Red Fang, METZ and Power Trip. Watch the trailer above.

As rookie pilot Gamma Ray—probably not the last pun—you'll set out to save a bunch of scientists with your fist-shaped ship, determining their fate and uncovering something more sinister. Mostly, though, you'll be blowing shit up across 36 levels.

The fist isn't just an aesthetic choice. It can beat enemies up in melee combat, punching, grabbing and tossing them around, and when it flips the bird, it fires bullets. You can enhance it with power-ups, and the trailer shows off a few different projectiles.

The soundtrack's a big deal. Attack patterns, enemies and level events all sync up to the music, so as well as being a shmup, it's a bit like a rhythm action game. It's is full of tracks from bands I've never heard of, but only because I listen to the same Spotify playlist over and over and fear change. You can see a list of them on the Steam page.

Freedom Finger is due out this year.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.