You voted this cyberpunk platformer your indie highlight on FYNG. It’s only fair that we give you a closer look at it now—and reveal the release date at the same time.
If an owl with a creepy, staring gaze hacks into your PC and tells you that you’d better save the world from the evil rabbits that want to rule it, you’d say yes right away, wouldn’t you? Or…?
At our last FYNG event, you voted on which indie game interested you the most.The winner was Kiyo: Bunny Tyranny, a cyberpunk platformer with biting humor and some really cool ideas. And I now have the pleasure of telling you more about the game, which I was able to try out myself.
I also chatted with the two developers from Pixel Rats and learned that some of the coolest features were created almost by accident. The stripping killer rabbits, for example.
What kind of game is this?
Bunny Tyranny can best be described as acyberpunk ninja side-scroller with platformingelements. In a neon-lit city called Rabbithole City, rabbits have seized power. Other inhabitants, especially carnivores like the main character Kiyo, are being harassed by them—or worse.
To end their reign of terror, the aforementioned owl calls on me (that is, the player sitting in front of the monitor) to help guide Kiyo through the environments, take down enemies, and overcome obstacles using my parkour skills and various gadgets.
Kiyo’s bow serves as both a weapon and a tool: for example, I shoot out ropes to climb up, or little carrots to distract murderous rabbits. Of course, there’s also plenty of sneaking around and hiding in the shadows—I told you, ninja.
One unique feature of Bunny Tyranny is the difficulty levels, because they not only determine how challenging the game is for me, but also change the overall feel of the game. As developer Federico tells me, the lowest difficulty level is, so to speak, a comedy mode. That’s because friendly fire is active in this mode, so the rabbits often kill each other—complete with rolling heads—while I watch the party unfold from the corner in peace. Almost like real life, huh.
Things get challenging to downright tough on the higher levels. For the developers, these are the closest to their original vision, but of course it’s up to you to choose and switch at any time in the game. Bunny Tyranny is explicitly designed to be accessible to everyone.
Coincidences happen
A few lucky, unintended circumstances came together in Bunny Tyranny. Even the name of the main character, Kiyo, came about quite by chance, as designer Isolde tells me: She just typed it in while saving a file, and it stuck right away.
The entire setting was actually supposed to look quite different, with classic, medieval-style dungeons instead of flickering neon signs and skyscrapers. According to Federico, the idea of archery came first, and for him, that just didn’t fit into the modern world at all. Isolde, however, has a deep love for Tokyo-inspired environments and created sketches accordingly. Today, both are very happy with this rather rare combination. And the original dungeon did at least make it into the game as a level.
The unusual main enemies—the rabbits who work as cops, strippers, gangsters, and so on—weren’t planned at all either. They started out as simple placeholders, but then there was so much positive feedback that the developers decided to go all in on the carrot.
How does Bunny Tyranny play?
The mix of exploring, hopping, climbing, sneaking, assassinating, shooting, and taking cover feels well-thought-out and meshes nicely. The controls take some getting used to at first; especially with my ranged weapon, it took a while before I got the hang of it. Yes, I’ll put a euro in the pun fund.
A simple but cool in-game aid helps with navigation:I can press a button at any time, and Kiyo will give me tips or tell me exactly where to go next.
Wait, a button? Yep, because Bunny Tyranny also runs great on theSteam Deckor my Lenovo Legion Go, even though the official store page still says “Unknown.” The developers assured me of this, and I tried it myself because I much prefer playing side-scrollers and pixel games in general on a handheld. But it runs just as well with a mouse and keyboard.
Good news for everyone who prefers to play in German: The text is available fully translated. Language doesn’t matter when it comes to the sound effects, because there are only animal noises. There’s meowing, howling, purring, and so on. All real animal sounds, according to Isolde. The developers had once considered a suggestion involving AI-generated sounds but deliberately decided against using generative AI in their game at all.
When is Kiyo: Bunny Tyranny coming out?We can now exclusively reveal the exact release date: June 25, 2026 is the big day, when the game will be released on Steam and for Nintendo Switch. If you want to try it out first without any obligation, you can find afree demo on Steam that really captures the game’s feel and humor. If you’re left wanting more, you can buy the full game with a clear conscience.
Fancy a bit more behind-the-scenes trivia?Kiyo: Bunny Tyranny has traveled quite a bit. During the four years of development, the two developers lived in England, Madeira, Italy, the Netherlands, and Scotland.
The offices of the devious rabbit authorities in the game are loosely inspired by a real bank building in London where the developers used to work.
Editor’s Verdict
It’s always a pleasure to chat with indie developers who are passionate about their game. I’m especially happy when small studios fully commit to their own ideas and prioritize human-made art. That’s how we’ve gotten some of the coolest games ever, and that’s how the next generation of talent grows, which we can look forward to.
Kiyo: Bunny Tyranny has exactly the dark and offbeat humor that many of you in the GlobalESPortNews community love. And cyberpunk settings always hold a wonderful amount of potential for satire and social commentary, without being so heavy-handed that it breaks the immersion.
I especially like the many little details and Easter eggs hidden in Bunny Tyranny. For example, the fact that the main character is inspired by the Ghibli films *Whisper of the Heart* and *The Cat Returns*. The Cat Baron lives on!
