Xbox is getting in on the act by hosting a diverse line-up of games, from Pawprint Studio’s Aniimo, Perfect Garbage’s Grave Seasons, and Scary Kid Studios’ Don’t Fret to Plot Twist’s Erosion, onepixel.dog’s Way to the Woods, and Toot Games’ My Arms Are Longer Now. However, it also confirmed that Gungrave G.O.R.E: Blood Heat, the next entry in Iggymob’s long-running third-person shooter franchise, and One More Level’s first-person Souls-like Valor Mortis will appear.

This creates some hope that demos for both titles could become available to the general public in the future. Then again, it’s more likely that the above indie titles would release demos first, perhaps in a forthcoming Steam Next Fest, but never say never.

Oddly enough, Grounded 2 also has a demo in which up to four players can battle against the latest boss, King Dozer, from the “Beat the Heat” update. Why have this at Play Days, especially with how much it stands out among the other releases (not to mention that it’s already available)?

Perhaps it’s tied to a larger announcement for the survival crafting title. Stay tuned for potential announcements at the Summer Game Fest showcase on June 5th.

Much like the original Gungrave G.O.R.E., Blood Heat will pick the story up right where Gungrave VR left off, with the Gunslinger of Resurrection taking on the Raven Clan. Its story has been described as a epic and emotional one that revolves around vengeance, love and loyalty. The title is quite old-school in how it presents the action to players, complete with combo counters and fast-paced action, as well as the complete lack of a cover system despite the emphasis on third-person gun play alongside melee combat.

Gungrave G.O.R.E. Blood Heart is being developed on a new engine, and will feature a number of enhancements over its previous release, including enhanced visuals as well as more modern gameplay systems. It will also bring with it the heritage system, as well as a host of new exclusive playable characters.

The Gungrave franchise has existed for over two decades at this point, with the first release in the series coming out all the way back in 2002 on the PS2. At the time, it got a single sequel in 2004, dubbed Gungrave Overdose, before the franchise went dormant. 2018 saw a revival of sorts for the series with the release of Gungrave VR for PlayStation VR, which brought with it newfound interest in the overarching Gungrave franchise.

The series has traditionally revolved around techno-engineered gunslinger Beyond the Grave, who was resurrected with an advanced technology dubbed the Necrolization Project. The original title’s plot revolved around a young girl named Mika who looks to Beyond the Grave for protection. The sequel took things three years into the future, with Beyond the Grave once again being reawakened by Mika as she tries to stop the spread of a deadly drug called SEED. Ultimately, this drug would end up being the focus of future titles as well.

Gungrave VR—the first game in the franchise to be developed by Iggymob rather than Red Entertainment—revolves around the rise of the Raven Clan that has taken over distribution of SEED in a Southeast Asian area dubbed Scumland. The title featured several call-backs to its predecessors, including new characters that would turn out to be descendents of important ones from previous installments, like Cheni Angel—the granddaughter of Gungrave Overdose’s Richard Wong.

The Gungrave series also saw a bit of expansion in the form of an anime adaptation back in 2003. While it focuses primarily on the events of the first game, the anime acts as an alternate retelling of the same story, following the life of a street punk, Brandon, and his encounters with Beyond the Grave changing his life.

No release date for Gungrave G.O.R.E. Blood Heat has been announced as of yet. For more details, check out our review of the original release.