One of the most unique and exciting games revealed duringFriday’s ID@Xbox indie game showcasewas roguelikeLoot River. Just the nameLoot Riverconjures ideas about dungeon crawling, gear gathering, and a river theme to abstract progression. YetLoot Riveritself is quite a bit odder than that, capturing aBloodborne-esque aesthetic with a plague doctor and dark beat around every corner. Then, it mixes that with a 2D puzzle game involving shifting tiles that only move in certain directions.
To start, callingLoot River’s aesthetic reminiscent ofBloodborneisn’t an exaggeration. It opens with a cinematic show of a sparsely lit city of towers along a climbing cliff, akin to the climb to Dracula’s Castle, with a river running through it. The levels themselves are dilapidated and littered with coffins, skeletons, dripping blood, dark traps, and mysterious sorceries. There’s even a peaceful central hub area.
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Only half of the gameplay fits theSouls-like description, however.Loot Riverhas melee combat with high-risk/high-reward attacks like aSouls-like game, but that’s just a part of the equation. Players also control the movement of platforms under their feet. These platforms can be shifted in cardinal directions, creating new paths to approach or avoid enemies. It adds a curious layer of gameplay that’s both puzzle-like and strategic. Then, as a whole,Loot Rivertakes on a roguelike progression structure.
Loot Riverhas been officially announced for just PC and Xbox consoles, though it is not one of Xbox’s many day-oneXbox Game Passlaunch titles. That may change in the future, either as developer Straka Studio furthers its relationship with Xbox or partners with other console platforms, but for now a trailer and some early details are all gamers have to consider.
Loot Riveris in development for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
