Laika Believes rebranded The Sun at Night, launches Feb. 4

The Sun at Night, Minicore Studios' 2D action platformer formerly known as Laika Believes: The Sun at Night, is slated to launch for Windows PC on Feb. 4, 2014, with ports for Mac, Linux, and PSN/ PS Vita expected at a later date, founder John Warren wrote on the studio's blog.

The Sun at Night was rebranded due to the requests of Laika LLC, the animation studio behind animated film Coraline, who thought the game's title would cause confusion between the two brands.

"Despite feeling like this confusion is minimal at most considering the historical nature of the name, we want to avoid an escalating legal situation," Warren wrote. "This ongoing conversation has been the reason for our radio silence about The Sun at Night. I'm happy to be ending that silence today. The Sun at Night is still very much Laika the space dog's story."

The Sun at Night is based on an alternate history of Laika, the terrier who was launched into orbit in the ‘50s to test the effects of spaceflight on living creatures. In the game, the robotic-armor equipped Laika returns to an Earth in turmoil with the rise of the Soviet Army.

The game is a mix of "Metroidvania-type experiences, Deus Ex-esque character progression, JRPGs, and adventure games" and is "a dream for those who love tight gameplay with their engrossing, exploration-heavy worlds."

The Sun at Night will be available on Humble Store, GOG and Desura, and is currently collecting votes on Steam Greenlight. For more about the title, check out our interview with Warren where he discusses Laika's tale.