wildkeepers rising

Demo Released For Wildkeepers Rising

Imagine if Pokemon got mixed up with bullet heaven shooters and you’d have something like Wildkeepers Rising, the new action roguelike coming from Lioncode Games. The game itself is not out yet, but a demo has just been released on their Steam page.

You’re a resident of a fantasy world that is quickly becoming overrun with monsters. The population needs trimming, but you’re only one hunter. You’ve gotta find, befriend, and recruit a team of Guardian Beasts to accompany you in battles. As you stack up victories, your team will grow stronger and you’ll be able to take on stronger hordes.

Lioncode says rheir main inspiration in the monster designs was to blend the sensibilities of Akira Toriyama and Jim Henson — basically if Toriyama got the idea for Labyrinth in 1985 and designed the puppet models. The visual style is a unique one, taking paper drawings and manipulating them as if they were 3D.

  • Bullet Heaven | Shred thousands of monsters in bullet heaven runs

  • Creature Collector | Discover, tame, and train magical beasts

  • Runs & Builds | Create team synergies with different Guardians

  • Roguelike Runs | Take runs with different Wildkeepers wielding different weapons

  • Progression | Unlock new Guardians and items and make them stronger between runs

  • RPG Elements | Discover a rich world of fantasy heroes and magical monsters.

Lioncode Games plans to get Wildkeepers Rising out sometime this spring. In the meantime the demo’s right there. It contains the first 2-3 hours of gameplay, including the first map, 12 different Guardians and 2 playable characters.

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Avatar of Shourikan
Shourikan

Lurker

128 messages 2 likes

Wildkeepers Rising hits all the right notes. The lore hinted at in the demo piqued my interest, and the creature designs are both whimsical and fierce. I'm looking forward to diving deeper into its world upon release.

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Avatar of Leangle
Leangle

Member

17 messages 0 likes

I like the concept, but I need to see more before I get too excited. A lot of roguelike games lately just feel like reskins of each other, and “bullet heaven” is becoming oversaturated. The creature collecting aspect could be the standout feature, but I hope it’s not just a gimmick. If the monsters have real depth—like evolving forms or unique skill trees—it could be worth it. I’ll keep an eye on it.

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Avatar of Showoff
Showoff

New Member

126 messages 3 likes

This is giving me serious old-school vibes. The mix of hand-drawn art and 3D sounds like a throwback to those classic fantasy adventure games. I love that the creature designs take inspiration from Toriyama and Henson—that’s such a weird but perfect combo. Reminds me of games like Azure Dreams or even early Monster Rancher. Definitely downloading the demo.

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Avatar of DriverfromFridayMusicvid
DriverfromFridayMusicvid

New Member

37 messages 1 like

This sounds like a cool twist on the roguelike formula. I’m curious how much build variety there really is. Are the Guardians just passive assists, or can they completely change how you play? If it has deep progression and meaningful choices, I’m all in. If it’s just another “unlock more damage” loop, I’ll pass.

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Avatar of Gibletsnearby
Gibletsnearby

Member

316 messages 16 likes

I've been a fan of Free League for a long time, and their keen eye to detail and devotion to quality never fail to please me. These Vaesen expansions appear to be no exception. Mythic Carpathia is the one that truly sticks out to me; the setting is so vivid, and I can't wait to see what new creatures and mysteries emerge. I'm also looking forward to seeing how they approach the region's cultural context. City of My Nightmares sounds like a more standard Vaesen campaign, but I'm still curious to see what it has to offer. I'll check out the PledgeManager page later today.

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