Title: Cogmind Developer: Grid Sage Games Platforms: PC Price: $30+ (various alpha tiers) ---
From more traditional games like Dungeons of Dredmor and ToME to rhythm hybrids, first person shooters, and everything in between, saying that the roguelike genre has exploded in recent years would be an understatement. An expanded version of the 2012 7DRL entry, Cogmind goes back to the genre's roots, shaping its sci-fi world of drones and machines with dynamic ASCII visuals.
Cogmind's narrative is simple. You are a drone in a procedural environment, a living place where enemies roam and engineers, workers, and others maintain and rebuild. Terminals through the levels gradually reveal the overarching story, but the gameplay is where Cogmind shines. Killing enemies allows you to collect and recycle their parts, customizing your loadout and movement to your liking. The array of parts at your disposal is vast: treads, legs, wheel, various armor types, everything from rocket lauchers and lasers to flame throwers and EMP cannons, hacking modules, and more. Blow through enemies with powerful energy beams. Cloak and sneak past foes, hack into defense systems, or manufacture allies of your own,
The game's dynamic ASCII aesthetic brings the tactical action to life, as EMP bursts distort the environments, explosions radiate red-orange pixels, rockets leave dull smoke trails in their wake. And if ASCII aren't your style, Cogmind also features a pixel tileset to give the game a different look.
Cogmind is currently in alpha, and already offers a hefty amount of depth and content to explore and master. You can purchase the game from the developer's site, as well as follow its progress on the game's TIGForum thread and development blog.
Title: Cogmind Developer: Grid Sage Games Platforms: PC In development, tentative 2014 release ---
A science fiction-themed traditional roguelike in which you play a robot that builds itself from components found or salvaged from other robots.
If you're a fan of roguelikes, no doubt you've had the "What is a roguelike" discussion at least once. Some ascribe to the rigid classic definition, that roguelikes must be turn based among other aspects, while some accept the looser more-encompassing definition that includes platformers, first person shooters, and other genres. Cogmind looks like it could be the roguelike to please both camps, combining Rogue's ASCII visuals and turn-based gameplay, with modern features such as detailed animations, particle effects, module-based customization, and destructible environments.
An expanded version of a 7DRL entry, Cogmind is a classic sci-fi roguelike, as you control an reactivated robot and fight through the expansive complex in which you were created. Perhaps what's most appealing about Cogmind is the depth of customization at your disposal. From different power sources and means of propulsion to weapons and gear, you can craft a character that suits any playstyle: the stealthy hacker, the armored tank, the melee-focused glass cannon, and much more. As you traverse the halls and areas, you gather new parts and equipment from defeated enemies, allowing you to program followers, hack into computers and security systems, all in a stylish ASCII art style. Now personally ASCII is usually a turn off for me, but Cogmind's fancy particles and cool weapon animations brings the turn-based action to life.
Cogmind is still in development, and the developer hopes to release the game sometime in 2014. You can play the original 7DRL version here and follow the game's development on its blog and TIGForum.
