The Steam Next Fest currently lets you try out over 1,000 upcoming titles for free. The demo for the co-op roguelite Rotwood reminded MeinMMO editor Lydia of Cult of the Lamb at first glance. A good reason to take a look.
Note: This article was originally published on February 8, 2024, and was updated on February 10.
What kind of game is this? Rotwood is an upcoming hack and slash from Klei Entertainment, the creators of the indie gems Don’t Starve and Don’t Starve Together. Both titles have “very positive” ratings on Steam and are among the highest-rated survival games on the platform (via Steam).
Together with up to 3 friends, you can dive into the fray in Rotwood in local or online co-op and fight your way through the enchanted forest.
With its cartoonish art style and quite cute character design, it reminds me of Cult of the Lamb, the wild mix of roguelite and farming sim. The 2.5D perspective, the layout of the rooms, and the enemies also brought back memories of my favorite demonic sheep.
However, Rotwood has what Cult of the Lamb currently lacks: co-op. I grabbed MeinMMO editor Dariusz, who also has the game on his list, and thoroughly tested the demo for the ongoing Steam Next Fest.
Numerous builds and abilities make every run unique
How does the game play? Even though the specific date is still missing on the Steam page for Rotwood, this brightly colored hack and slash is a roguelite: At the start of a run, you can choose from various abilities, then you fight your way from room to room and gradually acquire more abilities.
After a few rooms, you encounter a mini-boss that is bigger and meaner than the cannon fodder you typically slice through. The run ends when you defeat the powerful main boss waiting for you at the end of a dungeon – or die trying.
With the end of a run, the abilities you have crafted also disappear. However, you can gradually acquire permanent upgrades for your character, which can be bought, crafted, or scavenged: You can get armor, weapons, and skills that allow you to tailor your character to your play style.
Combined with the temporary abilities, this creates a multitude of possible builds, which requires quite a bit of coordination in co-op.
If your co-op partner is as allergic to dodging as mine is and prefers to take damage right in the face? Then utilize abilities with which you benefit from taking damage: For instance, there is an ability where you deal more damage when you’re below 50% health.
Correspondingly, you can also grab abilities that make you stronger every time or deal damage to your enemies when you resurrect a fallen comrade.
Just one more run, okay?
Rotwood knows how to entice you to descend into the dungeons again and again: In our first run, we were so close to defeating the first boss that we immediately had to rush back into the corrupted forest after our death.
On the second attempt, we processed the evil tree into green waste without much trouble – honor restored and finally put our feet up? Not likely, because back at camp we first received a new weapon, which of course had to be tested immediately.
This way, several hours can quickly pass in Rotwood. You will probably have to wait a while for the full release because no date has been announced yet. Until then, it’s definitely worth a look at the demo.
What’s in the demo? In the demo version of Rotwood, you can already go hunting with up to 3 friends. So far, you can unlock 4 weapons and defeat at least 2 bosses.
On the Steam Next Fest page, Rotwood is currently ranked second among the “Hottest Upcoming Games” and makes it into the top 10 of the most desired titles of the event as well as the demos with the most daily active players.
So it’s worth giving the game a try over the weekend – because many of the available demos will no longer be playable after the Steam Next Fest.
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