Monster Train’s Shiny Shoe Announces New Co-op Roguelike RPG ‘Inkbound’

inkbound co-op roguelike key art

American indie developer Shiny Shoe, best known for the award-winning roguelike collectible card game Monster Train, has announced a new co-op roguelike RPG that’s headed to Steam next year. Titled Inkbound, the game mixes elements of action RPGs and turn-based strategy games with a unique storyline thrown in to sweeten the deal.

“Inkbound is a co-op roguelike RPG [set in] a world where stories come to life. An unknown force begins to unbind these stories and the worlds they create. It’s up to you and your friends to protect them. Discover the magical Atheneum and the infinite worlds contained within to protect it and become the fabled Inkbound. Or break free from your station and unravel the real story behind your creation.”

Players embark on procedurally-generated adventures through these stories where they’ll face off against various colorful mobs and bosses. They’ll get to draft their own abilities and builds and will have various paths available to them during each run. Each path will have varying risks and potential rewards which players will have to weigh to successfully complete and survive the run.

“This is a living game, which provides us with the opportunity to nurture our community over the long term,” said Shiny Shoe CEO Mark Cooke. “Our goal is to give Binders new surprises to discover every week –whether it's deadly new enemies, powerful loot, or even entirely new biomes. We want to attract a base of players who love our games and find new reasons to keep playing them, so that they’re remembered fondly 20 years from now.”

The game is slated to launch into Early Access in early 2023 with Alpha testing kicking off sometime in the next few months. In the meantime, you can check out the official announce trailer right after the break. You can also sign-up for the upcoming Beta test on the official site and wishlist the game on Steam.