Awaysis by 17 Bit: The True Next-Gen Dungeon Crawler

17 Bit is introducing what they call the true next-generation dungeon crawler: Awaysis. During Day of the Devs: The Game Awards 2025, Jake Kazdal took the spotlight to showcase 17 Bit Studios’ highly anticipated title. Awaysis is a cooperative, four-player dungeon crawler that puts fun and its meticulous physics engine at the forefront of game design.

Whether you’re playing 20–30 minute missions or competing in one of the many competitive game modes, the brawler-crawler action is described as anything but a button masher. The spirit of the game is much deeper and more engaging than simply mashing the attack button. Kazdal emphasizes that their physics engine blends lifelike physics with a fantastical set of animations.

Sliding, jumping, fighting, and moving around in the physics engine gives the impression that the world of Awaysis feels grounded and unique.

Grounded physics meets a world filled with fantastic Japanese-inspired character models and animations. These are gorgeous, unique adaptations of Japanese folklore and serve well as minions to dispatch in each mission. Likewise, the environments have a pleasing fantasy aesthetic. Fitting with the unique and heavily Japanese influence, the soundtrack is composed by the iconic Hip Tanaka—a legendary figure whose DNA is found in all-time classics such as Metroid and EarthBound.

Every detail of this reveal points to a commitment to four-player fun. Whether couch co-op or online, this high-octane, visually stunning dungeon crawler with a highly engineered physics system is likely to make a splash sometime in 2026.

Awaysis will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC via Steam, Epic, and Xbox for PC. The release date is not yet known, but it will be available day one for Xbox Game Pass subscribers!

Let us know over in our Discord if you’ll be checking out Awaysis.