At the Xbox Games Showcase, Thunder Lotus Games, the developer behind 2020’s Spiritfarer announced their next game, 33 Immortals. As a part of the Xbox Games Showcase, we got the chance to go hands-on for 20 minutes of gameplay, clearing a dungeon as a party of six with the developers by our side. Launching through the ID@Xbox program, 33 Immortals is a co-op action-roguelike title that accommodates up to 33 gamers playing a damned soul who is rebelling against God’s final judgment—. Yes, you and 32 of your closest friends can raid hell and fight God.
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The goal of the game is not just to raid and clear dungeons but to cooperate to survive hordes of monsters, defeat massive bosses, and face the wrath of God in the ultimate fight for your eternal life. While you have to worry about mobs as you progress through the maps and collect chests, you need to be wary as you continually enrage God by clearing each one. In doing so, you can trigger large rains of heaven’s fire that make the battlefield even more dangerous pushing you to utilize the dodge mechanics and make it through.
A multiplayer roguelike game that is smashing what you know about both genres, 33 Immortals is an exciting and unique experience. The push to teamwork is consistent throughout the entire combat system. With each party equipped with ranged and melee (a sword and a bow) for this pre-alpha build, you clear stages filling up a gauge that allows you to execute a move that requires three people to execute. One of them releases a curtain of arrows in the direction selected, and the second one heals the party.
Additionally, as you defeat enemies, you collect relics and bones, the latter of which is the currency used to level up special items and buy health. While you can spend your hard-earned bones on yourself, there needs to be a consideration on management on when to heal the party and who will pay the price. If you weren’t healed in time and die, your body is dead, and you become a spirit. You must navigate to a member of your party to be revived and hope they don’t get taken out in the process.
One of the more interesting elements of this massive co-op experience is that you’re not tied to your party as you move through the maps. You can go off on you’re own, explore, and do tasks if you split up the party. However, if you do that too frequently and stretch your party too thin you can hit a mob that you can’t fight through and wind up dead away from your party. This puts them at risk as they attempt to revive you and further spreads out resources. This means that communication with your party is key to completing an area and making sure that you can explore but do so without dying. This is important in a singular sense because as you die, you incur debuffs that lower your health and ultimately will build up to put your team at a disadvantage.
All of that said, it’s clear that the development team have built 33 Immortals because of a love of the MMO genre and the love of the roguelike. In fact, this game is a beautiful bridge between the two. With the “pick-up and raid” matchmaking system it’s easy to play the game at your own pace and on your own timetable. Party-up when you can and dethrone God, but do so without the pressure of being a full party at all times or dedicating hundreds of hours to one story in the process. It’s proving to be a balance between doing something for yourself and for a team in a way that is extremely unique and I can’t wait to see more of it.
Some of the other elements in the game are that you have the ability to upgrade and customize in a wide number of variations allowing for each player to have a unique experience. This is also helped by the roguelike elements of the game that ensure that every raid is randomized when it comes to foes, challenges, and rewards to ensure that every run is dynamic and different.
A gorgeously ominous and inventive hand-drawn 2D art style sets 33 Immortals apart from others in the genre managing to be both monstrous and ethereal in equal measure. While the tone of 33 Immortals is deeply different than that of Spiritfarer, the core 2D beauty and dynamic touch to the artform is present throughout. After just seeing this pre-alpha build, I’m beyond excited to see what is next.
33 Immortals is slated to release in 2024 on Xbox and PC for $29.99 and on .
