Coming Soon – Nightmare Cooperative

Let’s make this very clear, Roguelike games are brilliant. Dungeon crawlers with nasty monsters, chests of sparkling treasure, magic spells, multiple levels of peril and unexpected frequent death are some of the finest experiences which video games has to offer.

We think.Though we are experts, so that’s pretty much a professional opinion.

Roguelikes have been a staple of the games world from the earliest days of, well, Rogue, through to the mighty Nethack (still the finest, most complex and awesome of the bunch), to DoomRL (yes, a top down Roguelike remake of Doom) to the stupendously wonderful Dwarf Fortress.

(If you’re not familiar with the above titles, then set aside your summer and learn…)

How then can a company bring something new to the Roguelike genre? If you’re Lucky Frame then you combine the classic roguelike mechanic, but extend control to all of the player’s characters on screen. Think Denki Blocks meets Nethack – but with the Frame’s signature stylish graphics and lush soundtrack…

Nightmare Cooperative is Lucky Frame’s latest project, due for release in 2014. We were lucky (frame) enough to get our hands of a preview copy and as bona fide card-carrying roguelike roguefans, we like. We really like it.  A lot.

As you progress through the levels, you fight deadly monsters, you can find and activate companions and once you have, each companion moves in sync with your first. You move right one step, they all move right one step. You get the picture.

Nightmare Cooperative is die, excuse us due, for release in July and is heading for iOS, Android, and Windows/Mac/Linux via Steam. Set in a time of austerity for the village council, everyone’s having to pitch in and make sacrifices – like themselves – in order to make ends meet and allow the council to pay their entirely-reasonable-and-highly-justified annual bonuses – because without them they’d go and administer another village and your village would look pretty stupid being run by unqualified people, right?

If you’re a roguechum, you’ll love it. If you’ve never played a roguelike, you’ll love it too. There are chests of gold, health, potions, chests of loot, wizards, barbarians, builders, other guys! Excitement! Adventure! Really wild things! The whole bit!

We’ll let you know as soon as the game hits the various app stores and look forward to seeing you all red-eyed, despairing and pining for one more go after your last bold adventurer has been slaughtered.

In the meantime, check out the latest information over on Lucky Frame’s website, follow the company on Twitter, find ’em on Facebook, or seekest thou for the amulet of Yendor, just for practice…

You can also see Lucky Frame’s Yann Seznec speaking and possibly showing an early build of the game at this weekend’s Edinburgh Game Symposium.