The email pitch mentioned baseball, and honestly, I was immediately unsure whether Sluggernauts would be a game I would be able to cover properly, given how little I know about the sport.
I’m glad I kept looking, though, because Sluggernauts was not what I expected when I clicked through the game’s new Steam page.
Yes, it’s an arcade baseball roguelike, no surprises there, but everything I’ve seen of the game so far looks far more interesting to me than a semi-realistic roguelike based on the sport.
So what’s the deal, then? Well, Sluggernauts puts you in charge of the Hickory Creek Squirrels, a small-town ball club that needs to win an intergalactic baseball tournament in order to save Earth. Yes, you read that right; this is not your average baseball league…
Each run takes place on a stylised map that makes it look like some sort of baseball holiday – all very jolly. Then, the baseball games themselves are brought to life with cel-shaded graphics and a playful art style. It’s got a bright, anime-inspired palette, and the whole thing looks very cohesive.
With gameplay-changing items/abilities to equip in four slots – a bat, fielding gear, headwear, and a pitch – it doesn’t sound like you’re going to need to know too much about baseball to have fun with Sluggernauts. With the game due out in Q2 2027, I’ve got a little wait to find out, though.
