The Showdown Effect free content update includes new stages, heroes and costumes

Arrowhead Game Studio's 2.5D multiplayer action game The Showdown Effect received a free content update yesterday including new levels, playable characters and additional costumes, the developer announced.

According to a post on the game's official site, the additional levels, South Eastwood and Fort Fiesta, are inspired by classic spaghetti Western films blended with elements of 1980s monster movies. Both maps are available to play in ranked and custom matches.

New characters include British spy Thelma Vain, who sports a unique cloaking ability, and Dr. Johnny Bionic, a cyborg fighter. These two characters along with several costume pieces inspired by the Reddit internet forums can be downloaded for free using the in-game store. A set of new Western-style costume pieces are also available for purchase.

In The Showdown Effect, characters from different time periods battle it out on stages and with moves inspired by 80s and 90s action movies. Players have access to a wide range of weapons familiar to the film genre, including shotguns, basbeball bats, umbrellas, grenades and katanas.