Game: Rays of HOPE™
Developer: Wakeup Super Studios
Publisher: Wakeup Super Studios (self-published)
Genre: 2.5D Action-Adventure
Release: 2027
Platforms: PC (Steam) & macOS
Players: Single-player & co-op
Award: Game of the Show, PAX West 2026
Status: Debut title
🏆 Rays of HOPE™ has been named “Game of the Show” at PAX West 2026 by Boss Rush Network. The debut title from Wakeup Super Studios put thousands of players hands-on across the weekend, and it’s available to wishlist on Steam now ahead of a 2027 release.
⚖️ You’re Not a Superhero. You’re a Kid’s Action Figure.
This is the detail that reframes everything, and it’s on the Steam page rather than in the announcement.
Rays of HOPE isn’t simply “a superhero story told through a child’s imagination.” You play as a child’s favourite superhero cowboy action figure, brought to life, as the world around you transforms into the adventures they always pictured.
That’s a much sharper idea than a generic imagination frame. Everyday childhood experiences become extraordinary through make-believe — which means the environments aren’t fantasy worlds, they’re the back garden, the living room, the bit behind the sofa, seen the way a seven-year-old sees them.
Wakeup’s own opening line is the pitch: “Remember when the world felt bigger?”
Remember when the world felt bigger?
Combat designed around “the free-flowing movement and tactile joy of playing with a toy.” Not realistic, not weighty — the way a kid actually smashes two action figures together.
Rays of HOPE™ came home from PAX West 2026 with an award. Boss Rush Network named the debut title from Wakeup Super Studios their “Game of the Show”, after thousands of attendees got hands-on with it across the weekend.
It’s a 2.5D action-adventure in which you command the power of light as a cowboy superhero, through fast-flowing combat, puzzles and playful platforming. The studio describes PAX as its biggest showcase yet, and the game is on Steam to wishlist now.
Combat That Feels Like Playing With a Toy
🤠 The Best Design Goal in the Whole Pitch
Most action games describe their combat as weighty, responsive or impactful. Wakeup have gone somewhere else entirely.
Rays of HOPE’s combat is described as “inspired by the free-flowing movement and tactile joy of playing with a toy.”
That’s a genuinely different target. Think about how a child actually plays with an action figure — the swooping, the sound effects made with their mouth, the way the figure flies further than physics allows because the arc feels right. It’s expressive rather than simulated.
If the combat delivers on that, it explains the award. It’s a very hard thing to articulate in a trailer and a very easy thing to feel with a controller in your hands — which is exactly the kind of game that wins things at conventions and gets overlooked online.
☀️ Power of Light
Your core ability as the cowboy superhero, used in both combat and puzzles.
⚔️ Slash & Clash
Wakeup emphasise playing however you choose, rather than a single correct approach.
🧩 Puzzles
Alongside the combat, with playful platforming linking it together.
🌍 Transformed Worlds
Immersive environments described as full of opportunity — and danger.
Three Things the Announcement Doesn’t Mention
📋 Worth Knowing Before You Wishlist
The studio’s announcement is short and focused on PAX, so a few genuinely useful details are only on the Steam page:
• It’s releasing in 2027. No date is given anywhere in the announcement — the store page lists the year
• There’s co-op. Steam lists both single-player and co-op support, and the tags include Multiplayer. The announcement describes it purely as a solo experience
• There’s a macOS version. Full Mac system requirements are published alongside the Windows ones, which is a notable commitment for a small team and worth knowing if you’re on Apple hardware
All three are the sort of thing that gets lost when a founder writes their own announcement at the end of a convention weekend. Co-op in particular is a real selling point being left on the table.
🔍 The Tags Suggest More Structure Than “Action-Adventure”
One more signal worth reading. Because the game has no user reviews yet, the Steam tags are almost certainly developer-applied — which makes them a statement of intent rather than crowd opinion.
Alongside the expected Action, Adventure and 2.5D, the list includes:
Action Roguelike · Class-Based · Character Customization · Spectacle fighter · Hack and Slash
That’s a considerably more systems-heavy picture than “2.5D action-adventure” implies. Roguelike structure and class-based play in particular suggest run-based progression and multiple ways to build your hero, neither of which appears anywhere in the written description.
Tags can be aspirational, so treat this as a hint rather than a spec sheet. But it’s a hint pointing somewhere interesting.
Platform and Release
🖥️ PC and Mac, 2027
Rays of HOPE is listed for PC via Steam and macOS, with a planned release in 2027. No consoles have been announced and no price has been given.
The system requirements are refreshingly modest: an Intel i5-4460 or AMD FX-6300, 8 GB of RAM and a GT 1030 or RX 550 on Windows, or an Apple M1 or 2018-or-later Intel i5 on Mac, with a 20 GB install. Wakeup note these are provisional.
It’s English-only at present, with Steam Achievements and Family Sharing supported. Wishlisting is live now, and the studio are explicit that it’s the most useful thing you can do for them at this stage.
🦸 Superhero
🤠 Western
⚔️ Action-Adventure
🎮 2.5D
🤝 Co-Op
👨👩👧 Family Friendly
Who’s Making It
⭐ Wakeup Super Studios
A new independent studio, self-publishing their debut game. Rays of HOPE is their first title, and PAX West was their largest public showing to date — which makes a Game of the Show nod a genuinely meaningful result rather than a line for a press kit.
✉️ A Note on How This Reached Us
Worth mentioning: this announcement came directly from Jordan Horton, founder of Wakeup Super Studios — not an agency, not a wrapped tracking link, just a founder writing after a convention weekend to say it went well.
We get a lot of press releases. The ones written by the person who actually made the thing read differently, and this one closed with an open invitation to reach out anytime. That’s a small studio doing its own outreach properly.
Rays of HOPE™ arrives in 2027, and is available to wishlist on Steam now.
Hi there! I’m Marie, also known as CtrlQueen. I’m passionate about keeping up with the latest in gaming news and sharing my insights. RPGs steal my heart with their rich narratives and immersive worlds, but I also love unwinding with fun, casual games. Whether you’re here for deep dives into game mechanics or just to chat about your favorite casual game, you’ve found the right place! Let’s game and explore together.
