A few weeks ago, we announced the next title in the Endless Universe, Endless Dungeon. Many of you were excited to hear about our return to the Endless Universe, but many of you were also curious about its relation to its spiritual ancestor Dungeon of the Endless and the rest of the Endless Universe. Today, we’d like to shed some light on that question, and share a few more details about the gameplay.
(Musical) Tone and Theme
If you have seen the Announcement Trailer (And if you haven’t seen it, you should go watch it. People keep telling us it’s awesome), you can probably tell that Endless Dungeon has a slightly different vibe than the 4X games in the Endless Universe. Many have told us that they adore the song used in the trailer and the sense of isolation it conveys, and we’re thrilled to hear that: The remoteness of the station, far from any of the organized empires of the Endless Universe, is a crucial part of the “Space Western” theme we are going for.
Music plays a big part in carrying this theme, so we asked Arnaud (formerly known as FlyByNo) to provide some examples of music that would be fitting, and when our Creative Director Jean-Max heard Lera Lynn’s song, it just clicked instantly: This neo-folk americana (with an added touch of Arnaud’s electronic music) was the perfect sound for Endless Dungeon. So, while you shouldn’t expect a bunch of cowboys running around the station (We’re not taking the theme that far), there will be plenty more of this Space Western mood, as the band will be present in the game to play for you. You shouldn’t expect the tone of the game to be entirely gloomy, though: Much like its predecessor, Endless Dungeon is an opportunity for Jeff to brandish his sharp wit.
Gameplay
So much for the theme and mood, but what about the gameplay and the name change? Many of you have been asking about those, and they’re connected. While Endless Dungeon shares the spirit of Dungeon of the Endless, there are some key differences we felt deserved a name change. Endless Dungeon is still a tactical rogue-lite tower-defense dungeon crawler, but the moment to moment gameplay when fighting is more focused on direct control than ordering your heroes from room to room. And where Dungeon of the Endless had originally been conceived as a single-player experience, we’re keeping the coop experience in mind from the start with Endless Dungeon.
To illustrate the gameplay we are shooting for, let’s talk about the gameplay scenes from the trailer.
Here we see the Reloader, a central fixture in your hub area and the narrative core of the rogue-lite gameplay. A piece of Endless technology, perhaps the last invention the Endless created together before the schism, the Reloader employs Virtual techniques of mental imprints and Concrete manipulation of physical matter to take a snapshot of our heroes just moments before their death and “3D print” them back at the hub. Philosophical questions about consciousness and self arising from this aside, we felt that having an in-universe explanation for the heroes coming back to life again and again would help players immerse themselves in the world.
Nobody should face an endless cycle of death and respawn alone, so our heroes usually venture into the Dungeon together. Apart from bringing more firepower with their light one-handed and heavy two-handed guns, they can also support each other with their skills, like our resident healer helping Zed stay ready to fight here. And while the heroes broadly fall within certain roles, such as dealing damage, tanking, or supporting others, we want these roles to be flexible. In coop, you will be controlling one of these heroes, while in single player you will be able to switch between them on the fly while the other heroes act on their own to some degree.
While you will have direct control of your heroes in Endless Dungeon, the game is still a tactical experience at heart. Fighting off the denizens of the station out to kill you is less about landing the perfect shot, and more about positioning, target prioritization, and using the right tool for the job. Here we see Zed, separated from her companions, trying to fend off a couple of bots, and when the bullethose proves ineffective, she wisely switches to a lightning gun that makes short work of their circuits.
You might be bringing a few friends to explore the Dungeon, but so are the threats you face. And they’ve got more friends. A lot more. Probably more than you can handle with just the guns you carry. Luckily for you, the arsenal of our heroes contains not just the weapons they carry, but also a variety of turrets they can put down to even the odds. This tower defense aspect was crucial to success in Dungeon of the Endless, as the creatures of the Dungeon assailed you from all directions, and it is still vital in Endless Dungeon. In the words of our Narrative Director: “Do not just run and gun. That’s the Jeff way to play. Don’t play that way.”
The mysterious crystal and its use as a power source are still a core part of Endless Dungeon’s lore and gameplay. Where in Dungeon of the Endless our heroes used it to power the ruined lab and escape, in Endless Dungeon our heroes are trying to take it deep into the station to power its systems and find a way to escape.
Picking up the crystal and moving it along your carefully prepared path while waves of enemies converged on you offered some of the most tense moments in Dungeon of the Endless, and we want to create a similar experience in Endless Dungeon. However, instead of moving the crystal from the start of a level to the elevator once you have (mostly) cleared the floor, in Endless Dungeon you will have to move the crystal several times to unlock doors as you proceed through the districts and zones of the station.
And since many times a nasty surprise might be waiting behind that door, you better put down some turrets to be ready...
Frequently Asked Questions
We received a bunch of great questions from our viewers during our Amplified stream, but we did not have time to answer all of them, so for anybody who did or did not make it to the stream, here are some frequently asked questions and our answers:
- Does the game play like an action RPG like Diablo or Path of Exile, or more like a third person action roguelike like Risk of Rain 2?
Neither. The controls are more direct than in most action RPG, but not as focused on precise manual aim as some action roguelites, and the progression is less focused on loot than either of the examples given for comparison. - What’s the relation between Endless Dungeon and Dungeon of the Endless in the lore of the Endless Universe?
Endless Dungeon takes place at roughly the same time as Dungeon of the Endless, but in an entirely different part of the galaxy, so there is no direct connection between the two. Endless Dungeon offers an entirely new story and part of the Endless Universe to explore. - Will there be any characters from the major factions of the other Endless games?
Yes, there will be, but we’re not ready to say more. - Will there be returning characters from Dungeon of the Endless or other Endless games?
Given that the events of Endless Dungeon happen at a similar time to DotE, yet in a different place, there is not much of a window for returning characters. However, all of the ingame characters are from known Endless Universe factions, so those will be familiar to players of Endless Legend and Endless Space / ES2. - Why is there a "Wall of Remembrance" if the heroes are brought back to life by the station?
The events of the trailer show the very first time that the "Reloader" was made functional. What this means is that all the various beings who died before that momentous event… really actually died. - Will the coop mode support three or four players?
We’re still experimenting and testing this to find the right balance, so we cannot give a definitive answer on this yet. - Will there be cross-play between PC and consoles?
We would love to, but it is too early to say. Right now our focus is on nailing the soul of the game but once that’s done we will do our best to make the experience available to as many players as possible. - Do you find the gameplay still engaging when every player only controls one character in co-op?
Co-op testing is in very early days; right now we are trying to get a smooth experience so it’s hard to say if we can accurately judge it! But so far, staying focused on a single hero, where you can sprint to where you need to be in order to defend a turret or support a hero or stop a wave, has been pretty exhilarating. (Note: You end up yelling at your friends a lot. This is one of the design goals. ) - Will the soundtrack still be composed by Arnaud Roy (formerly known as FlyByNo)?
Yes, we will be working with Arnaud on the soundtrack of Endless Dungeon. - What’s the role of Lera Lynn’s character in the game?
She and her band will be present in the hub area and performing there. - Is there already a playable build?
Yes, and we’re having a lot of fun testing it, but it is far from ready to be shared, as we’re still missing systems and a lot of content. - Will there be a beta, OpenDev, or other testing opportunity?
Working with our community has always been at the heart of Amplitude’s development process, so you can expect opportunities to give us your feedback about Endless Dungeon, but we cannot talk about details yet. - Will there be friendly fire?
We’re not currently planning to have friendly fire, as we want to focus on tactical decisions rather than precise shooting, but we might add it as an option. - Will there be multiple routes for the crystal to take?
Yes, you’ll be able to choose which paths to move the Crystal along and how to proceed through the Dungeon.
Finally, don’t forget that a new vote for Endless Dungeon started last Thursday: Choosing the name of our healer. Head on over to the votes section and pick your favorite!
.png)
