Link Steam
indiegame.fan
Cole Hunter: Payback header art

Cole Hunter: Payback

A retro-inspired 2D bullet hell roguelite where you pilot a customizable ship, scavenge enemy cores to upgrade your arsenal, and chase bounties across a high-stakes space rogue odyssey.

Steam Page
Developer
Oldways Studios
Publisher
Oldways Studios AB
Release
Coming Soon
Steam Reviews
No reviews yet

Does this feel indie?

Vote based on whether this game feels indie to you. You can change your vote at any time. Results earn an IGF score after 10 accepted votes.
No votes yet
Vote on More Games
Game contextLatest: IGF Team
ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan.Status
Notes
Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer.
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher.
A separate publisher is listed without a proven bounded regional or service-only role.
Search Google: Is Cole Hunter: Payback self-published or published by Oldways Studios AB?Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified.
Search Google: How is Cole Hunter: Payback and Oldways Studios AB funded?FundingThe known source of funding behind the game.
Search Google: Who controls the creative direction and IP for Cole Hunter: Payback and Oldways Studios?Creative controlWho appears to retain creative control of the game.
Updated: Jul 14, 2026Release statusWhether and how the game has been released.

Media

16 items

About the Game

You're Captain Cole Hunter - broke, hunted, and heavily armed.

In this retro-fueled space roguelite, blast through bullet hell gauntlets, collect enemy cores to upgrade your ship, and repay a galaxy-sized debt to a syndicate that wants your hide more than your money.

The longer you fly, the hotter the chase gets. Make every shot count... or default in flames.

Cole Hunter: Payback is a 2D side-scrolling shoot-’em-up with roguelite structure, high-stakes upgrade loops, and space-opera swagger. You’ll pilot customizable ships across hostile star systems, dodging waves of enemy fire, scrapping for core drops, and cashing in bounties to chip away at your crushing debt to the galaxy’s nastiest creditors.

Featuring tight moment-to-moment gameplay, risk-reward magnetic pickups, and a snarky drone sidekick, Cole Hunter delivers a modern twist on the classics — blending R-Type precision with Enter the Gungeon progression and Firefly-flavored grit.

Every run is a run for your life. And your wallet.


Key Features

  • Shoot. Dodge. Collect. Upgrade.
    Harvest cores from fallen enemies mid-combat to evolve your arsenal. Trade firepower for loot at your own risk.

  • The Debt Doesn’t Sleep.
    A dynamic heat map tracks your overdue balance. Slack too long and Syndicate enforcers will hunt you down system by system.

  • Builds That Beg to Be Broken.
    Equip weapons, drones, and passive implants between runs. Mix and match for power combos—or total disasters.

  • Retro Pixel Art, Modern Execution.
    Hand-crafted visuals inspired by the golden age of shmups, tuned for today’s action junkies and roguelite obsessives.

  • Space Opera With a Snarl.
    Light narrative flavor story beats and banter between Cole and Lucy balance high-stakes action with dark humor and character.

  • Fast Runs, Deep Progression.
    5–10 minute combat loops packed with decisions and rewards. Ideal for one-more-run marathons or bite-sized chaos.

Indie Game Fan