Echofall Games is bringing a brutal new take on first-person shooter roguelites with Deepward, a 1920s-set action game that strips away lives quickly and demands constant adaptation. The studio announced the project for PC, though a launch window remains unset.
The premise sends players descending into cursed depths, navigating gothic interiors, caves, ritual spaces, and stranger locales as mysteries unearth themselves. Combat hinges on close-quarters brutality: shooting, kicking, slashing, and scrounging for tactical advantages as rooms flood with enemies. The action stays relentless, requiring sharp reflexes and brutal efficiency to keep pressure at bay.
Where Deepward separates itself from typical roguelites is its hero switching mechanic. Players select three heroes from a roster of six before each run and can swap between them on the fly during firefights. Each hero brings a distinct arsenal, ability set, playstyle, and backstory. This flexibility means tactical depth isn't just about surviving a single character's limitations, but orchestrating coordinated squad tactics against waves of threats.
Death carries weight here. Once a hero falls during a descent, that run ends. There's no revival system or safety net, only the relentless knowledge that every decision could cascade into failure. Survival demands quick thinking, accurate marksmanship, and a willingness to go violent at close range.
Combat is described as gore-heavy, leaning into visceral feedback during encounters. The developer emphasizes how fights escalate as enemy counts climb, testing whether your squad can maintain composure under mounting threat.
Deepward is currently available to wishlist on Steam, though specific release timing has not been announced.
Author Emily Chen: "A roguelite that lets you swap heroes mid-combat could either be genius or a messy distraction, depending on how Echofall handles the chaotic execution."
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