Image: bWWd
When Bitmap Bureau recently announced He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction, it made dreams come true for an entire generation of 40-something adults raised on the classic ’80s Saturday morning cartoon series / toy line / cross-media franchise.
A 2D side-scrolling fighting game in the style of Golden Axe and Final Fight, it’s looking incredibly promising – and Bitmap Bureau’s track record means it’s almost certain to be a must-play when it eventually releases.
If you’re struggling to contain your excitement, then you might be tempted to look elsewhere for your Eternia combat fix, and publisher Q-Byte has helpfully pointed out that there’s another He-Man 2D scrolling fighter available – and it’s free to play!
🚨 Everyone is talking about the new He-Man game announced at Gamescom 2025…
👉 But did you know that there is already a FREE beat ’em up inspired by the classic Filmation style? ⚔️✨
🎮 You can play with He-Man (and She-Ra!) right now, right on your PC.#HeMan… pic.twitter.com/3T7osVY5ki— QUByte Interactive (@qubytegames) August 20, 2025
The game initially looks promising, with large, cartoon-accurate sprites and detailed backgrounds, but it’s fair to say it doesn’t play quite as slickly as it looks.
It’s not an official effort, either; it’s a fan-made game created by bWWd, so its rather rough-around-the-edges feel can be forgiven. The fact that you can play as He-Man, Man-At-Arms, BattleCat, Sorceress, Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, She-Ra, Ram-Man, Teela and even Lion-O from Thundercats scores a lot of points in my book, too.
I can’t say if this effort will totally fill the void between now and when Dragon Pearl of Destruction arrives, but it’s worth a look if you’re a fan of He-Man and company.
Damien has been writing professionally about tech and video games since 2007 and oversees all of Hookshot Media’s sites from an editorial perspective. He’s also the editor of Time Extension, the network’s newest site, which – paradoxically – is all about gaming’s past glories.