This week's Epic Games freebie is an award-winning 2D Metroidvania with a living weapon

Do you love Metroidvanias? Do you like Doom? Are 2D platformers right up your street? Then say hello to Doomblade, this week's free PC game on the Epic Games Store, an award-winning 2D extravaganza created by Finnish developers Muro Studios.

Doomblade sends you deep into the Lowland caves, where Gloom Girl has discovered the eponymous knife, a sentient weapon that has been chained up for eons. Desperate to escape captivity, 'Doom and Gloom' team up to escape the depths, working together to discover the sword's true powers and get some revenge on the Dread Lords who imprisoned it.

A 2D Metroidvania game, you'll need to run, jump, and slash your way through countless enemies to help Doomblade escape, while also learning skills and powers that the Dread Lords stripped from it. You won't just be fighting through dark caves either, with action taking place in beautiful locations like the New Wilderwood or the technologically advanced Power Sector.

Doomblade is incredibly pretty and comes with a fascinating story, but it's the gameplay that will keep you coming back until you've defeated every boss. There's definitely a steep learning curve, but once you've mastered both movement and combat, it feels incredibly fluid and is definitely addictive. At its best, it almost feels a little like the lauded Ori series. Imagine it and Doom had a baby, and you're on the right track.

The game has received high praise since its release three years ago, winning third place in the Action category at the 2023 Game Development World Championship. It currently has an 83 rating on Metacritic and 83% positive reviews on Steam, too.

Doomblade is available for free on the Epic Games store right now, and will be available until Thursday, April 30 at 8am PST / 11am EST / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST. If you fancy getting involved, you can grab the game here.

With monsters and Dread Lords waiting, best of luck on your journey with Doomblade - you'll need it.