Unleash Parasitic Powers In Shellbound On Nintendo Switch 2

Kinetic Publishing and Fake Lobster have announced that their parasitic Metroidvania Shellbound is in development for Nintendo Switch 2.

You play as a parasite travelling on the back of an enormous deific snail, challenged to explore a living world where organs are labyrinths and the snail’s very biology can reshape the paths that are available to you.

The world will react to your actions. For example, if you kill too many enemies of one particular species they will evolve into stronger forms with new abilities the next time that you return.

Even in this ever-changing biological landscape, a parasite can thrive. You can use your parasitic powers to take control of enemies and NPCs, which each offer unique movement, combat and traversal skills which can be used to reach hidden areas, unlock new routes and conquer powerful bosses.

“With Shellbound, we were inspired to create the sort of game that we love to play ourselves, full of secrets and exploration, and with our unique parasitic twist,” explains Fake Lobster co-founder Eric Frantzen.

Fake Lobster co-founder Nils Klatt. adds: “Shellbound has been a labour of love, and with the help of Kinetic Publishing, we have the support that we need to work on the game full-time and create what we’ve dreamt of making since we founded Fake Lobster.”

The publisher has outlined the game’s key features, which include:

• Parasite Power: Control enemies, and even some NPCs, to use their abilities for platforming, puzzles and combat.
• Enemy Evolution: Kill a certain amount of an enemy type and it evolves into a stronger (and sometimes completely different) form, unlocking new parasite abilities in the process.
• Biome Transformation: The snail’s biology creates a living labyrinth that changes and evolves through your actions.
• A New Kind of Metroidvania: An evolution of the genre that allows players to circumvent traditional ability gating through clever use of enemy powers

Shellbound will be released digitally on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch 2 worldwide in Summer 2028.

Shellbound Trailer