Sci-fi Roguelike Beacon is all kinds of stylish

There’s a risk with Roguelikes and bullet hells that they become more style and substance. If the shooting, dodging and pacing is off then flare won’t save them from playing like knock-off Game Boy games from elderly relatives who didn’t know any better. Still, I’d say Beacon has margin for error—this is a sci-fi Roguelike in haute couture.

In Beacon, you emerge from a cloning pod to be confronted with your own corpse, and I’ll wager you’ll see it a few times as you strive to set up a beacon and escape from the nightmare world on which you’ve found yourself.

There’s a twist on the genetic mutations or traits popularised by Rogue Legacy and incorporated in the likes of Darkest Dungeon. As you slay alien scum, you hoover up DNA and get the option to splice it with your own on your next run, upping (or potentially lowering?) your odds of survival.

The trailer is positively enchanting, but go check out the website once you’ve watched it. Not a cut corner in sight.

Beacon doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’s set to make an appearance at GDC next week. Now, this is speculation, but the press release specifies Beacon will be coming to ‘Windows’—Steam isn’t mentioned by name, and as development is being aided by Microsoft’s ID@Xbox programme, there’s the potential for it to be tied to the Windows Store. Again, this is my spitballing, so I’ll pop the devs an email to find out more and update you should I hear back.