SHADE Protocol Set to Shake up The Metroidvania Genre Next Year
Little Legendary, a new indie studio based in North America, has officially announced its debut project, SHADE Protocol. This 2D cyber-fantasy Metroidvania is slated to launch on PC in 2026. The game combines music, coding, and fast-paced combat in a world built entirely from digital chaos and artistic ambition.
SHADE Protocol introduces an original mechanic that lets players alter the rules of combat, exploration, and even enemy behavior. Players will be able to wield Instruments as musical weapons and use Protocols to shape their personal playstyle. The developers aim to create something that both honors the Metroidvania legacy and pushes it into unexplored territory.
“It’s a game about bending and breaking the rules of a world made entirely out of code and music; like if Megaman X met The Matrix. We hope to take you on a grand adventure full of all the songs we humans left behind in a universe inherited by our creations,” said Kendall Quinones, Little Game game director.
As an independent project, SHADE Protocol carries a bold artistic vision. It draws inspiration from classics while challenging players to master complex systems in a dynamic, music-infused world on the edge of collapse.
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Dual Modes and Code-Bending Combat
In SHADE Protocol, players will seamlessly switch between two modes: DAWN and SHADE. These dual forms change the flow of combat and exploration, offering varied styles of play on the fly. Mastery of both modes will be key to survival and progression.
Combat is designed to be fluid, responsive, and skill-based. Every encounter can be parried, countered, or comboed using musical Instruments as weapons. Players are encouraged to experiment with different attacks and techniques, tailoring their approach for each battle.
The game also features a mechanic called the UNISON System. This allows players to rewrite key moments in the story, reliving events and changing the fate of characters and entire factions. It adds narrative depth to the action, tying gameplay directly into world-building.
Instruments That Shape Battle and Sound
Musical weapons known as Instruments form the core of SHADE Protocol’s combat. These include the Twilight Spear, Sunrise Great Axe, and Midnight Chakram. Each weapon offers distinct capabilities that go beyond damage, allowing new forms of movement and puzzle-solving.
The combat system also relies on Echo, an energy resource that powers high-level Instrument attacks. Perfectly timed parries and counters refill Echo, adding a rhythm-based defensive layer to the action. Timing, positioning, and reaction speed will all play a role in victory.
Every Instrument is linked to the world’s musical theme. The battlefield itself becomes a stage, where attacks generate sound and create harmony or dissonance depending on the player’s approach. The musicality of combat reflects the broader concept of a universe built from code and song.
Explore a Fractured World on the Brink
SHADE Protocol invites players to explore Bastions, vast interconnected zones rich with secrets, challenges, and history. Each Bastion has its own theme, enemies, and environmental puzzles, encouraging repeat visits with new abilities.
The war between SHADEs and Xaviors has already ended in defeat. The world is dying, overwritten by a protocol designed to erase all remaining life. Players are given the tools to challenge this outcome, not just through combat, but through coding and reality-warping choices.
From corrupted ruins to harmonic sanctuaries, the game world is crafted to tell a story through both visuals and mechanics. Exploration will reveal more than just items. It will uncover the forgotten songs and lost code fragments left behind by a world on the edge.
Little Legendary Begins with Big Ambitions
Founded to take bold creative risks, Little Legendary sees SHADE Protocol as a statement of purpose. The team wants to pay tribute to the games that shaped their vision while delivering something uniquely their own. They aim to create genre-defying experiences that blend gameplay innovation with emotional storytelling.
According to game director Kendall Quinones, the project is not just about combat and exploration. It is also about bending the rules, breaking the system, and taking control of a digital reality shaped by memory and music. The goal is to offer players a world worth saving and the means to reshape it.
SHADE Protocol launches on PC in 2026. It promises a vibrant, dangerous, and fully interactive universe where music and code collide. The stage is set. The song is broken. All that remains is for players to take it back.
