Japanese indie game publisher Waku Waku Games released their latest dungeon-crawling RPG, Drunken Rogue, on August 21. Developed by 2.6 Billion Years Studio, the game has already garnered much positive feedback. As of this writing, the game has received 81 user reviews on Steam, of which 97% were positive, earning the title a “Very Positive” score.
The game follows the chaotic adventures of Lita – the titular drunken rogue – whose ventures lead her to increasingly dangerous dungeon crawls in search of a treasured wine collection, rumored to be hidden away by Endo, the Vampire of Demise. As you progress in the game, Endo herself becomes available as a playable character, offering a whole new playstyle.
Proceeding through the dungeon as Lita or Endo, players can choose “implement” to deal with a threat immediately or “postpone” the encounter for later. Should you select “implement,” you’ll have to use the various stats to determine success or failure in dealing with various problems like traps, monsters, and locked treasure chests. The predicted outcome of picking “implement” is also displayed, so you can judge at a glance how much risk you’re willing to take.
On the other hand, the “postpone” feature lets Rita and Endo procrastinate on their problems until they find a better solution or develop strong enough stats to deal with it later. Of course, the threats you postpone will come back at you later, in a much more dangerous state, but the rewards will also be greater.
The central mechanic of Drunken Rogue is, aptly, intoxication. The characters become stronger and more capable the more they drink, as what cannot be overcome sober can be made possible with a couple of drinks down the hatch. However, true to reality, drinking has its cost, as one too many swigs can cause them to hallucinate threats where there are none. In this state, Lita’s faithful dog, Odysseus, may appear as a terrifying demon as her perception becomes increasingly distorted. The Steam store page humorously warns players to “drink responsibly.”
Waku Waku Games is holding a launch sale for Drunken Rogue, with the game currently available at 20 % off. Incidentally, the game can also be purchased as part of the “Booze-Soaked, Debt-Ridden Roguelite Bundle” alongside Lazy Witch’s Factory by MELTCLOCK, an early access title which was released on the same day as Drunken Rogue. There’s a difference between making mistakes due to booze and being deep in debt because of it, but if you like seeing cute characters suffer unfortunate fates, you might want to check out both.
Drunken Rogue is currently available for PC (Steam). A playable demo containing the first two dungeons of the game is also available. The game is set to launch on the Nintendo Switch in the future.
Related articles: Drunken Rogue, a dungeon-crawling RPG where heroines get stronger the drunker they become, launches on Steam on August 21
