Pit Panic is a new Aztec platformer coming to PC and consoles

Flying Rat Studio has announced Pit Panic, a new roguelike 2D platformer launching this July for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. The game is an arcade-style vertical climb that mixes procedural generation with fast-paced digging mechanics.

You play as an offbeat archaeologist trying to escape a buried Aztec temple that reshuffles its layout every time you die. The entire goal is to reach the surface. The setup draws obvious inspiration from classic arcade games like Dig Dug and Mr. Driller, combined with the brutal trial-and-error loop of Spelunky.

Tools of the trade

Your primary tool is a mechanical grappling hook. It is an omnitool that can smash blocks at a distance, grab keys, and pick up items like bombs or jars to throw at enemies. It is also your main traversal method. You can use it to swing across large gaps when your standard double jump is not enough.

The environment requires constant manipulation. You solve puzzles on the fly using elemental reactions to clear blocked paths. You can turn sand into glass, ignite jelly into fire, or transform water into wine. You can even rip bridges out of the environment to use as makeshift weapons.

The physics-driven movement means you have to plan your route carefully. Some blocks are permanent fixtures in the temple. Others, like wooden crates, will break under your weight and drop you into whatever hazard happens to be waiting below.

Dying in the dark

Hazards include lava pits, fire traps, and an "unreasonably giant frog." We've all been there: staring at the screen, wondering how an oversized amphibian just ended a perfectly good run.

The game leans heavily into the slapstick comedy of repeated failure. Your character is a small, chirpy adventurer carrying a massive backpack, which makes the physics-based tumbling look even more ridiculous when you inevitably miss a jump.

The temple has four distinct biomes, each with its own specific enemies and art style. Instead of purely random generation, the game pulls from a pool of over 1,000 handcrafted level chunks and stitches them together. This approach usually prevents the impossible dead ends that plague fully procedural platformers.

From support studio to solo project

Flying Rat Studio is primarily known as a co-development house. They have provided support work on massive indie hits like Beat Saber and Darkest Dungeon 2, along with retro shooters like WRATH: Aeon of Ruin and Phantom Fury. Pit Panic is their own original IP, built entirely in-house.

Transitioning from support work to an original release is a big shift for a studio. They are applying the technical experience gained from working on other developers' projects to their own custom physics systems.

If you want to push your luck in the campaign, you can interact with golden blocks to trade your collected coins or your own health for power-ups. Sacrificing your health pool to get a better jump upgrade is a high-risk gamble that will probably get you killed.

Anyone who exhausts the main campaign can use the built-in level editor to create custom death traps. The game also includes daily challenges and leaderboards for the people who actually figure out how to survive the climb.