Necropolis: The roguelike, co-op Dark Souls clone you never knew you needed

Exclusive world premiere of co-op mode proves out Harebrained's stunning dungeon crawler.

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[Ignoble Xenon]

I hope it has PUG multiplayer, because I don't want to lose all my friends when I keep accidentally killing them over and over again.

 

[charybdisjim]

Looks like it will be worth following to see how it turns out. Have to say I'm really glad to see Harebrained continue to branch out and improve as a developer. I mean the improvements across the Shadowrun installments was pretty marked, but it is nice to see them working on stuff like this too.

 

[thearcher]

This is what I've been looking for in a game: The unknown. Rounding a corner, are you going to find nothing? Or a pack of Orcs? I've been writing my own procedural 3D map generator. Probably 80% done the prototype. Needing to earn a paycheck makes it difficult to find time to finish.

The one suggestion I'd have is this: don't limit the danger on a level. Yes, the first level should for the most part be easy. But what if a large crack in a wall or a random hallway led to a dragon's lair? The party, not yet knowing what's on the other side, could go through the crack or down the hall just out of curiosity. But once they see the beast, they'll need to run fast. If they are smart. I've only seen games designed such that a level is only slightly tougher than the players: if they players fight well, they succeed. I'd like to see levels where the players need to think well: if they only fight the battles that need to be fought, or the battles that are easy, the players win. If they fight the suicide battles, they definitely lose. Obviously, in the above example, once the players see the dragon and run, the dragon needs to be far enough away for the players to make it back out of harms way. Unless the players keep walking towards the dragon. Then the players' characters are Darwin award nominees.

 

[Intermezzo]

The recent Shadowrun games has made me a huge fan of Harebrained Schemes. I am quite excited for their take on some multi-player coop and this looks like just the ticket. Keep it up guys!

 

[tetrapyloctomy]

The art design is seriously beautiful, and reminds me very much of Alone in the Dark. (Talk about a game that could use a well-written modern sequel.)

 

[Morrowind542]

I don't know. The main draw of the souls series is the way you learn the game and get better at it. Learning the beat way to get through the level, what traps to avoid, what enemies to kite, how to best position yourself for your playstyle, all of this is part of that process.

Making a roguelike out of it kinda ruins that experience.

 

[thearcher]

Morrowind542[/url]":10pe0s8n]I don't know. The main draw of the souls series is the way you learn the game and get better at it. Learning the beat way to get through the level, what traps to avoid, what enemies to kite, how to best position yourself for your playstyle, all of this is part of that process.

Making a roguelike out of it kinda ruins that experience.

Yes, it may not fit the previous games in the series. But would you like to play a game in which you can memorize the levels or look them up online? Or a game that is different every time? For the latter, you need to be prepared for whatever is around the next corner: a troll, a medusa, an orc, a dragon, or a cat. Some tactics will be consistent: use fire on the troll, a mirror on the medusa (or blindfold yourself), run from the dragon (possibly changing your underwear afterward), maybe feed the cat. You'll need to make that split second decision regarding the best course of action right then and there, not before you've even launched the game.

I played a game that was the exact opposite years ago. I could have recorded all of my controller inputs, then played those inputs back from a fresh start. The playback would've done just as well as I did. I stopped playing that game when I had that realization.

 

[eric123]

in Darksouls, i invaded dropped a Seed for the host player and did coop that way.

not perfect by any means but fun to try and pull off.

 

[qchronod]

I think this will be going on the list for saturday nite coop shenanigans. Friendly fire is always a plus, especially if that involves actually setting others on fire.

 

[mnemonicoverload]

This looks like great fun! Hopefully Harebrained releases it DRM-free on GoG like they have with all their other titles.

 

[Hydrargyrum]

심돌산[/url]":862frvok]What is roguelike supposed to mean these days?
Randomly generated dungeon crawl? Is that it?

Personally I don't see how any 3-D game can be roguelike.

Roguelike, at least in the modern interpretation, is generally understood to mean procedurally/randomly generated content with permadeath.

It has nothing to with text-character based UI or turn-based gameplay.

That's why FTL counts as a roguelike.

 

[Naultarous]

I'm really looking forward to playing the game. The simple but so clean and well done graphics look amazing. And I love games that are hard and are challenging to win.

Side note: Harebrained Schemes games are often spotlighted on a fun twitch channel I enjoy. I believe they are planning a type of Necropolis launch day event later this month too. twitch.tv/hyperrpg for more info if you wanted to check it out.

 

[Badsleepwalker86]

Sounds like gauntlet with souls controls and difficulty.

 

[Urethramancer]

thearcher[/url]":33j7sakt]I've been writing my own procedural 3D map generator. Probably 80% done the prototype. Needing to earn a paycheck makes it difficult to find time to finish.

Making the map is the easy part. Populating it "realistically" and making the AI behave reasonably well/badly is most of the work

I found out I had Gauntlet yesterday, and played for a bit. It was OK, but after playing Dark Souls 3 all weekend I sort of missed better combat controls. This could be a nice new addiction.

 

[Static and Noise]

Hydrargyrum[/url]":20ps9fxf]

심돌산[/url]":20ps9fxf]What is roguelike supposed to mean these days?
Randomly generated dungeon crawl? Is that it?

Personally I don't see how any 3-D game can be roguelike.

Roguelike, at least in the modern interpretation, is generally understood to mean procedurally/randomly generated content with permadeath.

It has nothing to with text-character based UI or turn-based gameplay.

That's why FTL counts as a roguelike.

Oy... Turn-based gameplay not required to be considered a rogulike anymore? :/

 

[Urethramancer]

Static and Noise[/url]":1wzg57vq]
Oy... Turn-based gameplay not required to be considered a rogulike anymore? :/

I think it should, and everything else is "roguelite" or "roguelikelike". Then again, games like Dark Souls are just elaborate evolutions of chess with 30+ turns per second.

 

[Z1ggy]

i could see playing this game if it had LOCAL coop. article doesnt say.

 

[giantbee]

I have played and enjoyed all of the HBS Shadowrun games, and am an enthusiastic Battletech backer. HBS are definitely in my good books. I have been watching this one with interest for a while.

It's great that Sam has had a go, and that it's shaping up well. I love me some increasingly unfair procedural dungeoncrawling, and was a huge fan of the endless dungeon available in Torchlight.

If this one looks good in reviews, I suspect that I won't be able to resist it. There are too many really good games to fit into my downtime, first world problems!

 

[Castanova]

How is this permadeath? You can revive your allies after they die... if this game has "permadeath" then so does New Super Mario Brothers Wii.

 

[andygates]

Naultarous[/url]":23z5mzjd]I'm really looking forward to playing the game. The simple but so clean and well done graphics look amazing. And I love games that are hard and are challenging to win.

Isn't it gorgeous? I get a Samurai Jack vibe from the simple dynamic wheee of it all.

 

[HeyWaitASecond]

I played a demo of this at PAX East. The gameplay felt satisfying, and I loved the visual style. I've been looking forward to this since then.

Castanova[/url]":1nrlc1gc]How is this permadeath? You can revive your allies after they die... if this game has "permadeath" then so does New Super Mario Brothers Wii.

When playing with a party, permadeath applies to the party wiping, not an individual's HP being lowered to 0. Also, last time I played Super Mario Brothers Wii dying did not mean starting over from level 1... did they add that in an update or something? /s

*Edited to reduce snarkiness.

 

[Castanova]

HeyWaitASecond[/url]":3sqqarlu]
When playing with a party, permadeath applies to the party wiping, not an individual's HP being lowered to 0. Also, last time I played Super Mario Brothers Wii dying did not mean starting over from level 1... did they add that in an update or something? /s

*Edited to reduce snarkiness.

If the definition of permadeath is just "there are no saved games" then probably the majority of video games in history have "permadeath." It's just unearned marketing speak, in this game. Along with the other marketing buzzword they're using here, honestly.

EDIT: just to be clear, permadeath actually refers what logic would state -- if a character dies, that character stays dead. Being able to re-load your game has nothing to do with it, nor does it have anything to do with the fate of your party. This game does not have permadeath. It has temporary death until your friend revives you.

 

[심돌산]

Hydrargyrum[/url]":2ol48n5h]

심돌산[/url]":2ol48n5h]What is roguelike supposed to mean these days?
Randomly generated dungeon crawl? Is that it?

Personally I don't see how any 3-D game can be roguelike.

Roguelike, at least in the modern interpretation, is generally understood to mean procedurally/randomly generated content with permadeath.

It has nothing to with text-character based UI or turn-based gameplay.

That's why FTL counts as a roguelike.

Well I don't buy that description.

I wouldn't insist on a character-based interface but some sort of top-down, isometric, etc. view seems necessary.

Turn-based is traditional, of course but what's really important imo, is the ability to plan your path and attack. Reactive, spam click fighting isn't roguelike.

Anyway, go right and downvote, all you readers who first heard the word roguelike within the last 10 years. You're still wrong!

 

[Castanova]

심돌산[/url]":3jhiq0ch]

Hydrargyrum[/url]":3jhiq0ch]

심돌산[/url]":3jhiq0ch]What is roguelike supposed to mean these days?
Randomly generated dungeon crawl? Is that it?

Personally I don't see how any 3-D game can be roguelike.

Roguelike, at least in the modern interpretation, is generally understood to mean procedurally/randomly generated content with permadeath.

It has nothing to with text-character based UI or turn-based gameplay.

That's why FTL counts as a roguelike.

Well I don't buy that description.

I wouldn't insist on a character-based interface but some sort of top-down, isometric, etc. view seems necessary.

Turn-based is traditional, of course but what's really important imo, is the ability to plan your path and attack. Reactive, spam click fighting isn't roguelike.

Anyway, go right and downvote, all you readers who first heard the word roguelike within the last 10 years. You're still wrong!

You're right. FTL is not at all a roguelike. Roguelikes are RPGs after all. It's a roguelite, or a game with "roguelike elements" -- it's a strategy title with no saved games.

 

[Saikaici]

In a steam sale far far away...

Since I'll need to get five copies of course.

 

[Balderstrom]

Hairbrained must be fairly confident about the quality of their game, considering its debut-price is $29.99.

Definitely can't be any worse than schlock like TinyKeep.

Bumped up from "Followed" to "Followed & Wishlisted". Looks like an insta-buy if it gets a half-decent Steam Summer Sale discount.

 

[taswyn]

Morrowind542[/url]":3jl6taym]I don't know. The main draw of the souls series is the way you learn the game and get better at it. Learning the beat way to get through the level, what traps to avoid, what enemies to kite, how to best position yourself for your playstyle, all of this is part of that process.

Making a roguelike out of it kinda ruins that experience.

This was the only thing I felt a little lost on: I can't figure out why it's being compared to Souls. No offense to Sam, but it doesn't seem to be at all comparable except in the most loosely cobbled together of ways.

What makes Souls is the non procedural aspect, coupled with the "you died and lost this ______ much progress, but not everything: so try again, figure out what you did wrong this time" and "lol boss fight, have fun grinding back to it repeatedly until you stop even noticing the trash mobs along the way because you know their every move reflexively now… or maybe you need to admit that you need to go level, or something, instead of losing that nice chunk of souls each time."

That doesn't detract from the game being described, for me, it just seemed like an odd comparison point. Maybe it's due to the combat system (quick vs fierce attacks)? But that's not really the heart of what makes Souls… Souls, even if it's one core part of that heart (due to how it affects all of the timing interactions with enemy movements, which is core to the combat heart of Souls).

Now, roguelike makes sense. And the whining (yes, I went there) about calling it "roguelike" when in multiplayer mode you can res your teammates seems silly. There are, apparently, some definite penalties to doing that. And it's a necessary mechanic for multiplayer, if you don't want to create a multiplayer where someone goofs up and everyone else gets to spend the next twenty minutes just watching them play solo. The core game itself is still roguelike: if there are no other players around to res you, dead is dead. If your party actually gets overwhelmed and wipes (versus someone making a silly mistake and killing their teammate in a situation that is still soloable to clear a window to res), dead is dead. There are limitations on the number of moves you can make without something restorative. Etc.

I would say, as described, the multiplayer is still as roguelike as makes sense and would be fun in a party type scenario. Ultimately, I'm not sure it's any different than the other ways of handling that situation (one party member left alive) that still allow other players to continue playing, such as controlling a new avatar within the same game (as in the example when a new player joins). Which is otherwise what people would do (die, leave the game, rejoin as a new player).

 

[pjladyfox]

One thing I wished to mention here is that they also have a YouTube channel under the Hyper RPG title: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRDPly ... rPdFERMS5A

They tend to stream the franchises that Mr. Weisman is famous for in Shadowrun and Battletech with employees from the studio playing both. They also had an episode where they discussed the art style of the game back in March: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu6QJCWmyn0

While the game itself doesn't appeal to me all of the titles they have produced to date that I have played have been absolutely stellar and was more than happy to Kickstart the original Shadowrun Returns as well as the upcoming Battletech game. Here's to hoping that this title is another that does well for them and that many of you here who enjoy this kind of gameplay enjoy.

 

[torp]

Considering Soulsborne has brilliantly hand crafted levels, I don't see how something procedurally generated can be called a DS clone either. It clones the combat system, perhaps.

 

[Saikaici]

taswyn[/url]":amxo68g6]

Morrowind542[/url]":amxo68g6]
What makes Souls is the non procedural aspect, coupled with the "you died and lost this ______ much progress, but not everything:

Many people consider any game where it's tuned to have very low success of clearing of a level to be Dark Souls like.

5-10% clear rate for a level is probably high for Dark Souls, but it's not procedural, when you can't just learn an area you need to kick it up a little bit more...?

 

[samred]

taswyn[/url]":1zfoyqby]

Morrowind542[/url]":1zfoyqby]I don't know. The main draw of the souls series is the way you learn the game and get better at it. Learning the beat way to get through the level, what traps to avoid, what enemies to kite, how to best position yourself for your playstyle, all of this is part of that process.

Making a roguelike out of it kinda ruins that experience.

This was the only thing I felt a little lost on: I can't figure out why it's being compared to Souls. No offense to Sam, but it doesn't seem to be at all comparable except in the most loosely cobbled together of ways.

Souls-like in being a duplicate of control scheme and weapon timing. Three seconds of actual gameplay and you'll agree. Lots of differences otherwise, I agree.

 

[.劉煒]

Diablo is a rogue-like.

 

[samred]

.劉煒[/url]":y6bs7s98]Diablo is a rogue-like.

Yes, but not with such cool verticality in levels or such satisfying, moment-to-moment, up-close, careful-or-you'll-die combat.

 

[HeyWaitASecond]

Castanova[/url]":24enpzy5]

HeyWaitASecond[/url]":24enpzy5]
When playing with a party, permadeath applies to the party wiping, not an individual's HP being lowered to 0. Also, last time I played Super Mario Brothers Wii dying did not mean starting over from level 1... did they add that in an update or something? /s

*Edited to reduce snarkiness.

If the definition of permadeath is just "there are no saved games" then probably the majority of video games in history have "permadeath." It's just unearned marketing speak, in this game. Along with the other marketing buzzword they're using here, honestly.

EDIT: just to be clear, permadeath actually refers what logic would state -- if a character dies, that character stays dead. Being able to re-load your game has nothing to do with it, nor does it have anything to do with the fate of your party. This game does not have permadeath. It has temporary death until your friend revives you.

So just to be clear -- if they relabeled things and said 0 HP = knocked out, and knocked out with no one to revive you = death, this game would suddenly have real permadeath as opposed to it just being unearned marketing speak, right?

 

[tangerinecheese]

Z1ggy[/url]":1ubhpjr2]i could see playing this game if it had LOCAL coop. article doesnt say.

Seconded

 

[mnemonicoverload]

HeyWaitASecond[/url]":3tnojsyo]

Castanova[/url]":3tnojsyo]

HeyWaitASecond[/url]":3tnojsyo]
When playing with a party, permadeath applies to the party wiping, not an individual's HP being lowered to 0. Also, last time I played Super Mario Brothers Wii dying did not mean starting over from level 1... did they add that in an update or something? /s

*Edited to reduce snarkiness.

If the definition of permadeath is just "there are no saved games" then probably the majority of video games in history have "permadeath." It's just unearned marketing speak, in this game. Along with the other marketing buzzword they're using here, honestly.

EDIT: just to be clear, permadeath actually refers what logic would state -- if a character dies, that character stays dead. Being able to re-load your game has nothing to do with it, nor does it have anything to do with the fate of your party. This game does not have permadeath. It has temporary death until your friend revives you.

So just to be clear -- if they relabeled things and said 0 HP = knocked out, and knocked out with no one to revive you = death, this game would suddenly have real permadeath as opposed to it just being unearned marketing speak, right?

Permadeath has nothing to do with saved games, original roguelikes have saves you just typically can't reload from them after you die. They're there strictly to enable quiting the game to take a break and being able to resume where you left off, but they don't allow save-scumming.