Sturmjager co-op trailer shows respawn system and clearer bullets

What the new trailer shows

Byteproduct has released a new trailer for Sturmjager, its science-fiction shoot 'em up, introducing the game's two-player local couch co-op mode. According to Gematsu, the trailer focuses on how the mode keeps both players involved rather than punishing mistakes.

The key mechanic is a forgiving respawn system. When one player loses all their lives, they are not hit with an early game over. If the surviving player lasts roughly 30 seconds alone, the downed player returns to the action automatically.

Why the respawn design matters

Traditional shoot 'em ups often struggle in co-op when players have different skill levels. A less experienced player can end up spectating for long stretches after losing their lives.

The developer says the respawn mechanic is designed around shared fun rather than punishing failure, so both players stay engaged throughout a run. The trailer demonstrates how this plays out in practice.

Changes made after player feedback

Following feedback on the announcement trailer, Byteproduct has reworked bullet visibility. Bullets now render on top of explosions and other gameplay elements, carry a crisp black outline, and use high-contrast pink colour-cycling so projectiles stand out clearly against backgrounds.

Keyboard support is also in active development for the PC version on Steam, with the aim of having it fully ready at launch. It will allow players to rebind keys for all in-game actions and assign mouse buttons. The developer has released a first look at this feature.

Release details

Sturmjager is due out on 14 January 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, Switch and PC via Steam. The co-op trailer gives the clearest look yet at how the local multiplayer mode will work ahead of that date.