Earlier today one of my favorite publisher/developers, Devolver Digital revealed their latest title: Blightbound. Developed by Ronimo Games (also responsible for the popular Awesomenauts), Blightbound seeks to scratch that dungeon crawling, looter itch with its unique blend of character recruitment, crafting, and base maintenance. While the gothic, comic book esque art-style looks nice, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking “Well, this looks like so many other dungeon crawlers on Steam right now…”. So, how does Blightbound aspire to separate itself from the pack?
Based on the information available, Ronimo Games is looking to serve up a more unique experience than your typical clear dungeon, get loot, level up, rinse-repeat gameplay loop. Each class; Warrior, Assassin, & Mage, fulfill specific roles beyond the offensive. Warriors can absorb incoming damage to protect teammates, Assassins can interrupt enemy attacks, and Mages can utilize buffs as well as Healing abilities.
As you progress, you will have the chance to recruit over 20 unique heroes to your cause, which all come sporting their own abilities, skills, and stories. In between dungeons it seems you’ll be able to tune characters, sift through loot, and relax at your own base; Which you can upgrade and improve as well. I like the idea of having a home base where you can crunch numbers, mull over all your loot, and figure out your team composition after potentially sweating through a dungeon.
Right now, the game is slated to come to Early Access, but does not have a definitive date beyond 2020. Dungeon Crawlers tend to be a dime a dozen, but very few are designed well enough to keep players invested for the long haul. Given Devolver’s pedigree for delivering some unique, often crazy titles over the years, I’m certain there will be more than a few things to love about Blightbound when it arrives later this year.