Hive Jump 2: Survivors arrives in Steam Early Access today. To celebrate, publisher Midwest Games and developer Graphite Lab have shared an exclusive trailer for the Survivors-like sequel. The first Hive Jump caught our eye way back in 2015 when we named it one of the most promising indie titles on display at PAX West that year before its launch in 2017. The original Hive Jump served as a four-player co-op homage to Super Metroid, but Hive Jump 2: Survivors takes inspiration from a different title: Vampire Survivors.

The genre, called “bullet heaven,” puts players in the shoes of a single character who eventually builds up to become extremely powerful as the waves of enemies grow more intense. Hive Jump 2: Survivors carries forward the look of its Metroidvania predecessor but from the genre-standard top-down perspective. You take control of a lone survivor of an alien attack who must now face seemingly insurmountable odds to survive. You can customize your loadout and upgrade your jetpack to destroy enemies and escape tough situations.

The jetpack also allows you to traverse the levels in ways not available in Vampire Survivors. The Jumpers have specific builds that allow you to cater to your play style, which combines with the upgrades you select before each run. You can play with auto-assist aiming or switch to manual controls. If you can survive 14 rounds, you can challenge big boss battles. As you collect goo from fallen enemies, you can earn better weapons, upgrades, and relics to improve your odds. Meanwhile, amber you find in the field can be traded for permanent upgrades to stats, magnets for auto-scavenging, or even screen-wiping nukes.

You can see an exclusive look at the Early Access launch trailer below.

Hive Jump 2: Survivors launches into Steam Early Access today. For more on the work produced by Graphite Lab, check out our review of their 2023 2D platformer, Mr. Run and Jump, here.