I missed it at the time, wrote about it (scroll down, near the end) yesterday but didn’t realise it was newly announced, and today the penny dropped. Wild Bastards, the spiritual successor to Void Bastards, has been unveiled!
The news was revealed late on Thursday during a PC Gamer event. Those who watched the livestream were treated to the announcement trailer below, and I’ve grabbed all I could from the newly published Steam listing.
The premise in this Western-themed first-person roguelite shooter is that you’re trying to resurrect fallen comrades after they were wiped out by a rival gang. To save them we’ll get access to “13 outlaws, each of whom has their own weaponry, special power, and growth tree.”
What happens in Wild Bastards
We are promised “intense showdowns” and “bullet-flying shootouts”, in tactical battles where you’ll have to move your characters around to get the jump on your foes. You’ll also have to manage your gang and build relationships, and level and heal them – all that fun stuff.
Expect a procedurally generated galaxy to explore, and the Steam listing also details a post-campaign Challenge Mode, to boost long-term replayability. It certainly sounds like a well-rounded package, and developer Blue Manchu has earned my trust after Void Bastards – a decent shooter that offered a lot of fun ideas.
If you’ve not played the studio’s previous game, it has a lot in common to this follow-up. The most notable crossover is the first-person shooter gameplay, but knowing the studio’s work, I think we can also expect plenty of irreverent writing and, of course, there’s the stylish presentation.
Wild Bastards is heading to PC at some point in 2024.
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Still with us? Of course you are! If you want to keep reading about great hand-picked rogues, the following articles represent a huge collection of the best roguelike games ever made.
Next, there are genre-specific lists that delve into the best roguelike games of all types. I’ve pulled out the best examples from each category, alongside the links to more in-depth articles!
The best turn-based roguelikes: Caves of Qud | There are some seriously incredible turn-based roguelikes out there. Of all the modern games, these are the closest to the original Rogue.
Awesome first-person rogues: Gunfire Reborn | We almost went with Blue Prince for this spot, but most people checking out first-person rogues probably want to wield a gun, you know?!
Cool roguelike deckbuilders: Balatro | Sorry, Slay the Spire fans, but this poker-solitaire deckbuilder has stolen Mike’s heart and won’t give it back.
Exciting roguelike platformers: Spelunky | Now, don’t get us wrong, Dead Cells is an incredible game, especially with all the DLC switched on. But when it comes to impact, you just can’t beat Spelunky.
Amazing action-roguelites: Hades 2 | And finally, let’s wrap things up with our favourite of them all. There’s no beating the original Hades, although Hades 2 comes pretty close!
