Publisher Devolver Digital (My Friend Pedro, Exit the Gungeon, GRIS) and developer Ronimo Games (Awesomenauts) have just announced their newest project: Blightbound, a single/multiplayer dungeon crawler set to release for the PC in 2020.
Blightbound follows the story of a world that is suffering from the titular Blight: a corrupting fog that alters any living creature unlucky enough to be exposed to it. This fog comes decades after a band of legendary warriors slayed the dreaded Shadow Titan, which shortly after caused the appearance of the Blight. Three heroes are tasked to venture from their mountain home to face the creatures of the Blight.
Blightbound provides the trifecta of dungeon crawler roles: a warrior who tanks and blocks damage, an assassin that deals damage and interrupts enemies, and a mage that buffs and heals the whole squad. Players can either go it solo or team up with two friends to explore dungeons, fight a roster of terrifying monsters, grab loot, and unlock over 20 unique heroes each equipped with their own skill sets, passive abilities, and more. Hundreds of unique pieces of equipment can be looted, crafted, or simply found across Blightbound’s three distinct areas.
Blightbound’s premise is similar to other dungeon-crawling, side-scrolling games: Good vs. Evil, archetypal characters, synergies and teamwork, difficult bosses, and the works. It is actually very reminiscent of the Trine series. Where Blightbound is different is in its artwork and aesthetics, which can be seen in its announcement trailer. It’s not 2D, nor is it 3D, but it’s not quite 2.5D. The locations contain depth and textures, but the main characters and enemies are almost paper doll like: flat, but animated with a certain cartoon/comic book-ish aesthetic. We can expect to see more once Blightbound launches for the PC via Steam Early Access later this year.
Blightbound is just one of Devolver Digital’s upcoming titles, which include reverse-horror game Carrion from Phobia Studio, whimsical, physics-based battle-royale Fall Guys from Mediatonic, and space action-adventure Disc Room are all slated to launch in 2020.
