Noita, the game that simulates every pixel's physics, hits Early Access this September

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Noita, the "action roguelite" in which every pixel is physically simulated, is headed to Steam Early Access on September 24. To mark the big news, developer Nolla Games dropped a new trailer showcasing how that simulation translates into gameplay.

James described Noita in a preview last year as a "hilarious, horrifying wizard death experiment," because magic is necessary but the results of using it are unpredictable—often dangerously so. Waving your wand around carelessly is as likely to bring a ton of rocks down on your head as it is to dispatch your enemies, and it seems remarkably easy to set yourself on fire.

I'm not sure what Noita is actually about, but I don't think it necessarily matters either. The goal is simply to delve as deeply as you can—that is, until you die—and experimentation (and quick thinking) would seem to be at the core of the experience: Dispatching enemies may be easy enough, but can you avoid the fallout that follows?

Noita is expected to be in Early Access on Steam for about a year.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.