Loop Hero is a nifty-looking Rogue-like game where you’ll strategically place enemies for your hero from your own hand of cards. Now, before anyone gets on me about calling it a Rogue-like, it’s got randomized adventures, gear, heroes that die, and an “infinite loop” that you’ll need to break out of. The deck-building bit is what somehow makes me personally more interested in it than more literal riffs on Rogue. It will arrive sometime in 2021 for your randomized dungeoning desires.
“Strategically place building, terrain, and enemy cards along each loop to create your own dangerous path,” say Four Quarters. “Find balance between the cards to increase your chances of survival while recovering valuable loot and resources for your camp.”
If I understand it correctly, you’re playing cards that could prove lethal to your hero, attempting to organize and order them in such a fashion that they overcome challenges without being overwhelmed. It sounds quite neat. Here’s the reveal trailer to scrutinise for yourself.
You’ll spend time between runs managing your deck of cards and upgrading your survivor camp and “gain valuable reinforcements with each completed loop along the expedition path”. It looks like combat takes place in auto-battler fashion rather than being turn-based or real-time. You can also get a feel for it over on the official website by continuing to scroll down through the page over and over in an example loop, which is also neat! It shows off some dialogue and combat but not the deck-building and gear management bits.
Loop Hero started life as a Ludum Dare game jam game in 2019 which turned into a playable alpha that you can still find over on Itch.
The final version of Loop Hero is planned for sometime in 2021. You can find it over on Steam to wishlist until then.