Field guide · First person blades, punches, dashes and hybrid gunplay

Games like Shadow Warrior and Bright Memory: sword and melee FPS games

By Ekin, a solo developer in Istanbul (Whale Development Studios), maker of Iron Curtain Call. Published 8 November 2026; every price, release date and platform below was checked on 8 November 2026 against the US Steam store and the sources at the end.

Close quarters cartoon punch and parry combat against tin robots in Iron Curtain Call
In Iron Curtain Call, close quarters punches and parries weave directly between shotgun blasts and dashes. Free demo on Steam.
The short answer

The nine games at a glance

Most shooters treat the melee button as a weak emergency slap when your magazine runs dry. Players who search for games like Shadow Warrior and Bright Memory want a first person action game where close quarters strikes, sword slashes, parries or heavy punches sit on equal footing with your firearms. When I built Iron Curtain Call as a solo developer in Istanbul, I made your gloved punch and parry central to the combat loop: you dash into a wind up robot’s face, deflect its projectile, and smash it into bolts and ammo.

If you want first person katana slashes woven into gun combos, start with Shadow Warrior ($29.99), Shadow Warrior 2 ($29.99) and Bright Memory: Infinite ($19.99). If you want one hit cyberpunk blade parkour, play Ghostrunner ($29.99, free demo on Steam). If you want fast shooters where punches, kicks, chainsaws or parries drive every room clear, play ULTRAKILL ($29.99, free demo on Steam), Turbo Overkill ($19.99, free demo on Steam), Anger Foot ($19.99, free demo on Steam) and DOOM Eternal ($29.99). And if you want a 1930s rubber hose cartoon shooter where dashing and punching tin robots fuels your whole run, play the free Steam demo of my game Iron Curtain Call (out 11 March 2027).

At a glance

The nine games at a glance

US Steam store prices, release dates, platforms and free demo availability checked on 8 November 2026.
GameClose quarters melee weapon or strikeHow melee links with guns and movementFree demo on SteamUS priceOut
Iron Curtain CallMy gameCartoon gloved punch and projectile parryDashing in to punch tin robots bursts them into health and ammoYes, free: Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutesNot priced yet11 March 2027Free demo since 28 October 2026
Shadow WarriorKatana with directional special strikesDash between demon waves switching from katana to quad shotgunNo$29.9926 September 2013
Shadow Warrior 270+ melee blades, claws and katanas + gunsCo op or solo dash slashing with elemental weapon gemsNo$29.9913 October 2016
Bright Memory: InfiniteLight blade sword slashes and parry deflectGrapple hook pull + aerial sword juggle + shotgun finisherNo$19.9911 November 2021
GhostrunnerMonomolecular cyber ninja katanaWall run, air dash deflect and one hit blade killsYes, free$29.9927 October 2020
ULTRAKILLFeedbacker parry arm and KnuckleblasterPunch your own shotgun pellets or enemy fireballsYes, free$29.993 September 2020Early Access
Turbo OverkillChainsaw leg and chainsaw arm bladesSlide through crowds at 50 mph while firing dual magnumsYes, free$19.9911 August 2023
Anger FootDevastating sneaker kickKick doors and thugs between point blank pistol shotsYes, free$19.9911 July 2024
DOOM EternalDoomblade Glory Kills, Blood Punch and ChainsawEvery melee finisher refills health, armour or ammoNo$29.9919 March 2020
Game by game

Each game, how its blade or melee strike works and how it pairs with firearms

Each card covers the close quarters combat mechanics, the movement kit, and its verified US Steam store facts on 8 November 2026.

Iron Curtain Call

My game

Play it if you want a 1930s cartoon shooter where punching and parrying robots keeps your guns fed.

In Iron Curtain Call, staying at long range starves you of resources: you dash and grapple straight into wind up tin soldiers, parry their incoming shots, and land heavy gloved punches that scatter springs, health and ammunition across the floor. Mission 1 is free on Steam right now for Windows, macOS and Linux, and a 60 second browser trial runs at /play/.

Developer and publisher
Whale Development Studios
Out
11 March 2027
Free demo out
28 October 2026
On Steam
Windows and macOS (demo on Windows, macOS and Linux)
US list price
Not priced yet
Demo
Yes, free
Gameplay trailer · 1:00 · Twelve chapters in sixty seconds. YouTube · Video page

Download the free Steam demoPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download

Shadow Warrior

Play it if you want directional katana combos paired with a classic nineties style gun wheel.

Flying Wild Hog’s Shadow Warrior (26 September 2013, $29.99, Windows, macOS and Linux) revived Lo Wang with a katana that dismembers demons according to your movement input, backed up by crossbows, SMGs and wise cracking banter.

Developer
Flying Wild Hog
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Released
26 September 2013
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$29.99
Demo
None on Steam

Shadow Warrior 2

Play it if you want dozens of katanas, claws and firearms in fast procedural levels.

Flying Wild Hog’s Shadow Warrior 2 (13 October 2016, $29.99) expands the double jump and dash kit while letting you equip eight weapons at once across blades, chainsaws and grenade launchers.

Developer
Flying Wild Hog
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Released
13 October 2016
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$29.99
Demo
None on Steam

Bright Memory: Infinite

Play it if you want character action sword juggling and parrying in first person.

FYQD Studio’s Bright Memory: Infinite (11 November 2021, $19.99) plays like a first person Devil May Cry: you parry a boss’s halberd with your blade, grapple into the air, and juggle soldiers with sword waves and incendiary shells.

Developer
FYQD Studio
Publisher
FYQD Studio and PLAYISM
Released
11 November 2021
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

Ghostrunner

Play it if you want high speed cyberpunk wall running where every katana slash is lethal.

One More Level’s Ghostrunner (27 October 2020, $29.99, free demo on Steam) trades firearms for pure katana speed, letting you slow time mid air to dodge bullets and slice through Dharma Tower’s guards.

Developers
One More Level, 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks and All in! Games
Publisher
505 Games
Released
27 October 2020
On Steam
Windows (demo on Windows)
US list price
$29.99
Demo
Yes, free

ULTRAKILL

Play it if you want a punch that literally parries your own shotgun shells.

Arsi "Hakita" Patala’s ULTRAKILL (3 September 2020 Early Access, $29.99, free demo on Steam) turns its left arm punch into an offensive weapon that boosts your own projectiles and reflects boss attacks.

Developer
Arsi "Hakita" Patala
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Entered Early Access
3 September 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$29.99
Demo
Yes, free

Turbo Overkill

Play it if you want a chainsaw leg slide that turns movement into a melee attack.

Trigger Happy Interactive’s Turbo Overkill (11 August 2023, $19.99, free demo on Steam) lets you rev your cybernetic leg and slide straight through cybernetic mobs.

Developer
Trigger Happy Interactive
Publisher
Apogee Entertainment
Released
11 August 2023
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

Anger Foot

Play it if you want a bass heavy arcade FPS where your foot is stronger than most rifles.

Free Lives’ Anger Foot (11 July 2024, $19.99, free demo on Steam) makes kicking doors and gangsters the fastest way to clear every room in Shit City.

Developer
Free Lives
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Released
11 July 2024
On Steam
Windows (demo on Windows)
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

DOOM Eternal

Play it if you want big budget arena combat built around Blood Punches and Glory Kills.

id Software’s DOOM Eternal (19 March 2020, $29.99) requires constant close range aggression with the Doomblade, Chainsaw and Flame Belch.

Developer
id Software
Publisher
Bethesda Softworks
Released
19 March 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$29.99
Demo
None on Steam
Why hybrid melee and gunplay works

Closing the distance creates instant risk and reward

When a shooter rewards you for dashing into melee range, you stop playing peekaboo behind doorways and start treating every room like a choreographed fight scene.

Questions

Questions players ask about sword and melee FPS games

Which games like Shadow Warrior and Bright Memory have a free demo on Steam right now?

Five games on this page have a free playable demo on Steam right now: Iron Curtain Call (Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a 60 second browser trial), Ghostrunner, ULTRAKILL, Turbo Overkill and Anger Foot.

Which sword or melee FPS on this list runs natively on macOS and Linux?

Iron Curtain Call’s free Steam demo and Shadow Warrior ($29.99) both run natively on Windows, macOS and Linux.

What PC and indie games are coming out in 2027?

More than one page can hold: Steam shows a lot of PC and indie games with a 2027 date, and dates keep moving. What we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026 are the shooters and the Mac action games, in two dated lists: upcoming FPS games and upcoming Mac games. Iron Curtain Call, our own cartoon noir shooter, is due 11 March 2027 on Windows and macOS, and its free demo is on Steam now.

What games release on 11 March 2027?

Among the shooters we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026: Blood of Rations (11 March 2027) and Iron Curtain Call (My game, 11 March 2027). We only checked shooters, so this is not the full set for that day; Steam’s own Coming Soon page has the rest.

What is a good new single player FPS I can play for free right now?

Iron Curtain Call has a free demo on Steam (Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutes) and a free 60 second browser trial with no download. It is a single player cartoon noir shooter, and it is our game, so weigh that. For other free shooters, our list of free FPS demos on Steam holds the best rated ones.

Sources and when we checked them

Every release date, US list price, platform flag and demo entry on this page was read from the official US Steam store API and Wikipedia/Wikidata on 8 November 2026.

  1. Iron Curtain Call, Steam store page
  2. Shadow Warrior, Steam store page
  3. Shadow Warrior 2, Steam store page
  4. Bright Memory: Infinite, Steam store page
  5. Ghostrunner, Steam store page
  6. ULTRAKILL, Steam store page
  7. Turbo Overkill, Steam store page
  8. Anger Foot, Steam store page
  9. DOOM Eternal, Steam store page
  10. Shadow Warrior (2013 video game), Wikipedia
  11. Shadow Warrior 2, Wikipedia
  12. Bright Memory, Wikipedia
  13. Ghostrunner, Wikipedia
  14. Ultrakill, Wikipedia
  15. Doom Eternal, Wikipedia
  16. Anger Foot, Wikipedia

Try Iron Curtain Call free on Steam or in your browser

Download the free Steam demo on Windows, macOS or Linux, play 60 seconds in your browser with no install, or wishlist the full game ahead of 11 March 2027.

Download the free Steam demoWishlist and Follow on SteamPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download