Horgihugh and Friends jets off on Nintendo Switch in June

Fly the furry skies

Thursday’s NGPX presentation brought with it a selection of reveals, release dates, and localization windows for a slew of pint-sized Japanese releases. Among the many super-cute titles added to the calendar was an official western release date for the delightfully titled anthro shmup Horgihugh and Friends, which will take to the skies on Nintendo Switch June 16.

You can check out a new trailer for the pixel-powered cute-’em-up below.

Set in a colorful fantasy universe Horgihugh and Friends focuses on a population of cute critters who decided to fully disarm their countries in the aftermath of a miserable and lengthy world war. Unfortunately, sometime later, the world is invaded by a strange unknown entity known as the Gozareans. In this newly weaponless society, it is up to retired ace pilots Hugh and Figaro to dust off their vintage hobby planes and take to the skies, outnumbered and overpowered, in a last-ditch effort to save civilization.

Horgihugh and Friends is a retro-style horizontal shmup that tasks one or two players with taking down the Gozarean invaders. The title boasts six challenging stages, punctuated by 13 intense boss battles, unique power-up mechanics, multiple difficulty settings, and an exciting cast of critters to meet and befriend. All of this action is stylized in classic pixel visuals, with artwork by Mega Man and Shantae veteran Kou and a score composed by Motoaki Furukawa of Gradius II and Policenauts fame.

Hogihugh and Friends will launch in the west on Nintendo Switch June 16. The Japanese version is also available right now on PC via Steam.

Chocks Away!