Monster Train dev’s unique turn-based action RPG is coming in May
The co-op roguelike will release into Steam early access, naturally.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The developers of hit deckbuilder Monster Train are gearing up to release their next game: Inkbound, a unique turn-based RPG that’s designed to play fluidly either cooperative or solo by using many of the same tricks as action RPGs and MOBAs. Outside of combat players move freely, while inside it they move around and toss out attacks freely on their turn before the enemies take a shot.
Like Monster Train, Inkbound is a roguelike based around drafting abilities, upgrades, and equipment to make synergized builds for maximum efficiency—all about that exponential growth curve from scrub to unstoppable. The game story takes place inside the Atheneum, a magical library of sorts, where solo or in four player co-op you enter stories to explore them.
Just like Monster Train, developer Shiny Shoe will release Inkbound into Steam Early Access. It’s set to arrive in just a couple of months, on May 22, 2023.
As part of the run-up to releasing Inkbound, Shiny Shoe hasreleaseda video talking about how they related Inkbound’s development to Monster Train’s. “Inkbound may look like an ARPG because it shares the same camera angle, but it’s not an action game,” said Shiny Shoe CEO Mark Cooke.
That doesn’t mean it’s slow, however. “Crucially, in both games, players can act rapidly. We always aim to respect the player’s time, and don’t want to bog them down watching slow-paced, repetitive animations. You can go slow and think when you need to, and go fast when the decisions come easy,” says Cooke.
PC Gamer took a look at an early playtest for Inkbound in January. “I played around with the test build myself for a few minutes and it looks potentially promising: The underlying mechanics are familiar—from a central hub, you make runs through semi-randomized linear levels, taking on numerous setpiece battles along the way—but the game world is very pretty, and the story has me curious too,“saidAndy Chalk at the time.
Find Inkbound in early access onSteam—on May 22, recall—or on its official website atinkboundgame.com.
The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he’s not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.
FF14 is finally fixing the fact my carefully-constructed portraits keep reverting to a goddamn driver’s licence photo whenever I change my goddamn gear
Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s first patch adds some Mass Effect flair to your wardrobe
I desperately hope Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Disco Elysium inspire more RPG devs to reject the traditional drip, drip, drip of DLC and expansions
