Inkbound, the tactical roguelike from Monster Train developers Shiny Shoe, launched on Steam Early Access in May. Shiny Shoe has shared that players have embarked on more than 630,000 runs, earning more than 31 billion XP in total. And more runs are bound to come with Inkbound’s upcoming Starship of Terrors update, which adds a new sci-fi-themed Derelict Starship to explore, the heroic Star Captain class, a slew of new quests (with new Unravelled enemies), and much more. The robust update will be available to Inkbound players at no additional cost via Steam starting August 23, 2023. The details and features from the Inkbound Starships Troopers update have some stellar highlights which you can dive into below.
First up is the addition of a new hero: Star Captain. This addition brings the total of playable classes to six. Each class brings its own unique suite of skills and abilities to Inkbound’s imaginative battles, and Star Captain is no exception. This flexible new hero is a natural fit for Starship of Terrors’ sci-fi setting, either solo or via online co-op.
“This new Star Captain aspect showcases a mastery over lasers both big and small, controls deadly Sentinel Drones (with, you guessed it, lasers), utilizes powerful teamwide auras, and harnesses the destructive force that is frost,” says gameplay designer Colin Galen. “Star Captains can chain damage between foes with their Chillazer or call in the big guns with Cryoclasm, an orbital beam that deals huge damage to an enemy and frostbiting anyone unlucky enough to be near. Their Mission Leader aura gives big buffs to allies while simultaneously calling in friendly Sentinel Drones ready to zap foes and trigger frostbite. Star Captains excel as supportive team players, boosting friendly abilities and protecting them with shields. However, even by themselves, they are a force to be reckoned with, building up massive frostbite or drone damage.”
The next piece of this update is adding in the Derelict Ship. Inkbound is built around books and storytelling, from the explorable storybooks that are home to its roguelike runs to its overarching narrative about the importance of keeping these tales alive. The Starship of Terrors update adds an all-new volume to Inkbound’s library, including exciting new sci-fi themes and a spooky Derelict Starship that’s ripe for exploration – and intense tactical battles against a host of new alien Unravelled.
Finally, Inkbound launched in Steam Early Access with a cosmetics-only Season Pass and Shiny Shoe has shared that it is dedicated to supporting the game in the months and years ahead, and giving fans access to a paid track is one way to make that possible over the long term. Here are a few details about what’s to come:
- Passes will now be called Leveling Passes because these passes will be available for purchase at any time. If you’re just hearing about Inkbound, we don’t want you to feel FOMO for missing out on the launch or any seasonally released content.
- The price of Leveling Passes will increase from the special launch discount of 600 shinies to 1000 shinies on August 23. Future Passes will also be priced at 1000 shinies from this point onwards.
- Player Pass progression will be permanently maintained. A player’s level within each Pass is going to be maintained forever and will never be lost during seasonal transitions.
Shiny Shoe is excited to share more information about Starship of Terrors as they approach its August 23 release date. Check out the official Inkbound website and Steam blog for regular updates.
