Shiny Shoe, the developer behind the popular ‘award winning’ roguelike card game Monster Train is setting up for another round of roguelike fun with their announcement of online co-op RPG Inkbound. The game will feature a hybridized play style that mixes action RPG’s and tactical turn-based strategy games.
If you’re familiar with the popular roguelike card game Monster Train then it’s likely you’re super excited for Shiny Shoe’s next game Inkbound. In Inkbound players will take on the role of Binders, a group of heroes who protect the world of Atheneum from the stories that make up the world. In Atheneum any story that has been written, be it about ancient beasts or a demonic carnival, is made real, and Binders will travel to each story along with other players to work together and maintain these stories.
While every run in Inkbound will be different due to the roguelike nature of the game, players will also receive loot drops along their way. In order to obtain the best loot in the game, Binders will have to play alongside each other in co-op, merging their skills and abilities to great effect. In addition to the roguelike gameplay that intends to keep players coming back for more, the team at Shiny Shoe has stated that they have built the game for long-term replayability through weekly updates that will include new enemies and new biomes.
“We cultivated an incredible community with Monster Train, so with Inkbound we wanted to explore ways to approach that shared experience within a new genre. This is a living game, which provides us with the opportunity to nurture our community over the long term. Our goal is to give Binders new surprises to discover every week –whether it's deadly new enemies, powerful loot, or even entirely new biomes. And that’s the mission statement of Shiny Shoe. We want to attract a base of players who love our games and find new reasons to keep playing them, so that they’re remembered fondly 20 years from now."
- Mark Cooke, CEO of Shiny Shoe
The game will also feature a cosmetic-only cash shop. Shiny Shoe is adamant that their cash shop will never be pay to win, and nothing that players buy will directly affect gameplay. Inkbound will head into early access in 2023 on Steam. Are you excited for Inkbound? Check out the trailer and let us know what you think in the comments!
