It’s safe to say Deep Rock Galactic was a massive success for Ghost Ship Games. After putting it in early access for two years before doing a full release in 2020, it’s now developing a roguelite spin-off, Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core, for PC.
Similar to the original, the spin-off is a first-person shooter that can be played by one to four players. It follows a team of dwarven miners who are on a mission to restore control to a deep mining operation after its operators suddenly go off the grid. The game’s synopsis tells us more about how it goes.
It reads, “Expenite – a new mineral of incredible value and use has been discovered on planet Hoxxes! Space mining company Deep Rock Galactic immediately sets up covert mining operations deeper than ever, to harvest this precious material. Suddenly and without warning – all the dig sites go dark, and all contact is abruptly lost.”
Like other games in the roguelite genre, Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core will see players start every mission with basic gear and powers. For this title, your gear includes a Phase Suit with an Active Ability as well as one unique Reclaimer Weapon.
You will have the opportunity to improve your arsenal and abilities as you progress, though. To improve your weapons cache, you can salvage the gear you find on your missions. To improve your abilities, you’ll unearth the planet’s mineral, Expenite, and plop it into the Processor Drone you’ll have with you. However, these upgrades will be available for a limited period only.
Each of the game’s levels will be procedurally generated, making each mission unpredictable and different from every other one. The difficulty level of the missions you participate in will also get harder the further you go.
Ghost Ship Games gained a reputation when it successfully pulled off Deep Rock Galactic. Given this track record, we are more inclined than not to believe it will pull off the roguelite title. We can’t know until the title arrives in early access next year, though.
Ghost Ship Games decided to make Deep Rock Galactic a spinoff because they want to keep the original title as a live game and still provide a new take.
The studio’s co-founder and Game Director Mikkel Martin Pederson had the following to say, “We have intentionally not positioned this title as a sequel, as we still aim to support Deep Rock Galactic as a live game, however we were keen to give fans a fresh take on the gameplay formula that only a spin-off title could provide.”
If things proceed according to plan, the game will be available via Early Access in November 2024. Ahead of that, you can wishlist it on Steam.
