March 5, 2017 was the date I posted The Apple TV Gaming Blog’s first story on upcoming Moon Raider. Almost four years later, it finally hit Apple TV this weekend (you can grab it right here).

For a quick catch-up on the journey, hit the Continue button below.

2017 feels like several lifetimes ago. Hell, the start of 2020 feels like several lifetimes ago.

Since the announcement of Moon Raider by studio Cascadia Games those many moons ago, heralding its intended release for Apple TV, Cascadia has actually released several other games while taking breaks during Moon Raider’s development.

Ammo Pigs saw a reboot, Armed and Delicious (check out ATVG’s review), and Moon Raider’s main character Ava was beaten to launch by her her little brother Avery “Aphid” Cavor, who got his own game – Mighty Aphid.

Moon Raider actually hit iOS and iPadOS back in 2020, but a technical hitch saw the Apple TV version delayed until now. Interestingly, Moon Raider received an update in 2020 adding couch co-op, with a second player being able to take control of Avery.

It’ll actually be interesting to compare Moon Raider on Apple TV to this progress update I posted back in October 2017, featuring a bunch of gameplay videos Cascadia revealed at the time.

Cascadia’s body of work is right on the money for retro-gaming enthusiasts, and fans in general of 2D action platform games. Left, right, jump, shoot, wall climb, some swimming, some crate destroying, some boss fights, pixel art. It’s all there.

Without reinventing the wheel, they’re fun little games that deserve a big screen and a controller.

Cascadia’s Chris Jorgensen has been cranking out these 2D platform games for years (and I’ve been writing about them for years, with 2-bit Cowboy first catching my attention way back in 2014, in my Grab It Magazine days). Even just by watching the trailer below, it’s easy to see that Moon Raider is Jorgensen’s most ambitious project to date. It looks like there’s more of everything.

Cascadia is already at work on its next 2D platform outing – Bay Lynx, and gameplay so far shows a move away from pixel art towards a more cell-shaded style. No ETA on its arrival as yet, but as usual, when ATVG knows more, so will you.

If you’re new to The Apple TV Gaming Blog (ATVG), or just new to Apple TV gaming in general, or both, then the best place to get acquainted is our Best Apple TV Games of 2020 article. You’ll find a great collection of games to play, and a bunch of useful links to our previous site content. Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.