At the moment only four weapons based on either cardinal sins or virtues are available—Sword of Justice, Daggers of Greed, Staff of Sloth, and Bow of Hope—though hints of future additions, like a halberd, appear in the game’s official artwork.

I’ve seen players perish multiple times attempting to activate these when a massive attack is about to hit or a trap is set to activate. If successful though, the result is almost always worth it. While the cooldown can be high, activating them can rain down arrows, slow enemies within an area, offer shields to allies, and more, with each player having access to one co-op power depending on their chosen weapon.

, and though I initially tried to fade into the pixels and treat it as a single-player game, I quickly found myself emoting and seeking groups of warriors to join.

, is no different – unless its 'fighting to get out of the circles of hell' theme is somehow weirdly connected to Spiritfarer

Of all these choices, I liked playing with the Bow of Hope the most, as it kept me at a decent length away from enemy attacks. Also, its Guiding Light feature, where returning arrows sliced through monsters on the way back into my quiver, allowed for a nice interplay of positioning to my targets so I could double-up on damage. I really like how 33 Immortals

Thankfully, Thunder Lotus has been listening it seems, as a changelog for the day-one patch I’ve seen lists a permanent reduction of the dodge cooldown to 1 second. The update will also offer more perks when starting out and reduce the number of hurdles you have to jump through to unlock features like weapon upgrades, hopefully reducing the starting grind.

enters the fight with simple but rewarding combat-favoring groups of allies, a tight gameplay loop to keep coming back, fantastically balanced maps for cooperative play, and a simple but highly readable graphics style. The game does a lot of things well, but there’s also a lot of promises being made, especially for things that should be staple for new games such as controls remapping.

You start a run by picking a weapon — justice sword, sloth staff or greed daggers — and each has a special ability that only works when three players stand together and activate it. It’s different for each weapon, but the effect is consistently grand. I stuck with the Staff of Sloth, a weapon that flings purple balls of magic and whose special ability slows enemies across a large swath of the battlefield.

is a unique approach to cooperative gaming that I didn’t realize I was going to enjoy as much as I did. I primarily enjoy single-player experiences where I’m free to suddenly drop without letting my party down – I’ve become an unreliable em linha raider with growing adult responsibilities that can 33 Immortals Gameplay pull me away at a moment’s notice.

It’s an experiment in structured chaos, and for those willing to embrace the unpredictability, it’s an experience worth diving into.

That also means you can join an open game at any time – there are more than enough enemies around should I just want a quick “pick-up and raid” session to earn some Shards to spend on cosmetics and Perks in The Dark Woods, your home base on this adventure. Having a constant flow of Souls in and out Inferno also fits nicely within the narrative of 33 Immortals

describes itself as a distillation of the MMO raid experience, an action-packed roguelike where 33 players are placed together on a large world map, a land littered with charred buildings and jagged spears of stone surrounded by flames. It’s also full of monsters. Lots of monsters.

Nearby, Charon manages cosmetics, all currently unlockable for free using cosmetic tokens found in runs. To the north, Beatrice grants you Feats, which unlock new gameplay features, while the eight Weapon Altars around her will let you pick which one you want to defy divine judgement with.

That Dark Woods safe haven I mentioned is where weapons are chosen, perks are wished for, and upgrades are purchased using loot from previous runs. At the early access launch, the title has four weapons to choose from: sword, bow, daggers, and staff, each offering a different play styles, movesets, and powers. After trying out the sword’s heavy slashes and blocks, the staff’s AOE blasts, and the dagger’s unrelenting aggressiveness, the bow was what I clicked with.

And then there are Shards, found inside the chests of Torture Chambers, used to spend on weapon upgrades and more when you’re in the Dark Woods (I’ll touch on this in a moment).