Gorgeous 2D platform adventure Iconoclasts is heading to Switch next week

Developer Konjak has announced that its gorgeous, eight-years-in-the-making exploratory platformer Iconoclasts will be coming to Switch on August 2nd.

Work began on Iconoclasts back in 2010, and it was officially unveiled a year later. However, it wasn't until the start of this year that development concluded and the game finally released on PC, PlayStation 4 and Vita.

Iconoclasts' lengthy gestation period starts to make sense when you play it though: its 2D platform action is both surprisingly intricate in terms of its puzzling, and surprisingly heavy on plot - with both elements enriched by some gorgeously detailed, wonderfully vibrant art that gives the game a look, somewhat, of a 16-bit-inspired Saturday morning cartoon.

In terms of story, Iconoclasts follows the adventures of renegade mechanic Robin, who teams up with an assortment of other outcasts to battle against a sinister religious organisation, known as the One Concern, and its leader, Mother.

As you'd expect given the game's Metroid-esque stylings, Robin's journey is marked by the continued arrival of new tools that assist in puzzle solving and the occasional combat, and in expanding the traversable world - although backtracking is refreshingly minimal. It also finds time for boss fights, other playable rebels, and upgrades based on a simple crafting system.

Reviews for Iconoclasts were positive on release, although some drew attention to the occasional moments when the game could feel a little fiddly and unfair. However, Iconoclasts' Switch launch will introduce a new challenge setting for "more relaxed players", which will hopefully help smooth out the game's pricklier spots. Additionally, Switch will receive a new boss rush mode - and Konjak notes that both features are coming to other platforms too.

Iconoclasts will costs £17.99 when it arrives on the Switch eShop on August 2nd.