Quasimorph Key Art
Image: Magnum Scriptum & HypeTrain Digital

Here's one I've been excitedly waiting to leave early access. Quasimorph mashes together two things I love: Classic turn-based roguelike dungeon crawling and the badass demon-grinding sci-fi horror universe of Doom. It also adds a third idea to the mix - the high-stakes tension of extraction shooters. After nearly three years of tweaking, tuning and responding to player feedback, fresh indie studio Magnum Scriptum are happy to call it a finished game today.

The setting is very Doom, only it turns out the Aztecs were right about the whole apocalypse thing. They were off on the location and date, but in the brutal corporate-run off-world future, mankind has awakened the Quasimorphs, extradimensional Aztec-ish demons that would quite like to bathe in mankind's blood and devour our hearts. Still, they might be the lesser evil compared to some of the corporations at work here, and they're the ones that are paying best to get their violent ends resolved through violent means.

For a while, I've described Quasimorph as a long-form version of classic fan-game Doom: The Roguelike (which got remade as Jupiter Hell, and then demade as Jupiter Hell Classic), but that's a bit reductive. There's a lot of fresh ideas here. Yes, it's still a sci-fi horror turn-based roguelike dungeon crawl where you control a single character, blasting through corporate facilities and mangling demons. But this is a grittier, more tactical game where cover, planning and consumables are vital, as your characters - members of your cutthroat PMC outfit - can be shockingly fragile.

Quasimorph isn't messing around with the extraction shooter inspirations. Each mission, you pick one of your squad of clones soldiers to send in. if they die, they'll be regenerated within just a few hours. What isn't regenerated is whatever looted or purchased gear you equip them with. A great, highly customized gun could get them out of a fight that would kill them, or cost you a pretty penny if they die anyway. And inspired by gritty extraction shooters like Escape From Tarkov, there's a complex medical system, with pain, fractures, bleeding, infections and organ damage all being tracked. All major problems in a fight, but they can be mitigated long-term with cybernetics and other bodily upgrades.

I'm still early on in Quasimorph's semi-sandbox campaign, but the launch version promises several possible plot-threads to follow at your discretion, leading to multiple endings. Being an independent mercenary outfit, you're free to work for whichever of the MANY clashing corporate, rebel, pirate or demon factions you please. And yes, you can just throw humanity to the wolves and make contracts with the demon lords in exchange for spooky magical powers. You've got options.

Quasimorph is out now on Steam for £20/$25 with a juicy 33% launch discount running until August 14th. It's also in discount bundles with solo extraction shooter Cargo Hunters, and similarly unforgiving sandbox roguelike Stoneshard. With the game having sold decently already, launch is far from the end. The post-release roadmap already promises major updates over the coming months (including adding a long-requested bestiary) and DLC on the horizon.