He is Coming

Although He is Coming has a minimalist retro look, behind it lies a gripping and motivating fantasy roguelite autobattler. Chronocle's game is another highlight in the Hooded Horse portfolio.

He is Coming is a dark fantasy roguelite autobattler. Players explore a procedurally generated world, setting out with nothing but a pointy stick and the task of preparing for the arrival of the Big Bad™ and his underling bosses. They can freely explore the land, which currently consists of two biomes, in search of loot and creatures to fight. Things become more dangerous at night, when reduced visibility makes it easier for monsters to hunt down the hero. On the third day, a boss arrives to test the hero's will and item-build. Players know which boss is coming in advance and can prepare accordingly by countering their strengths. Each boss has its own strengths and weaknesses, so players who plan carefully can craft a build designed specifically to defeat each boss before facing off against the Demon King in the final encounter.

Hooded Horse provides the following example: "But should you find yourself hunted by the Black Knight, who absorbs your attack power as his own, high armor becomes a priority over raw attack strength - with the aid of Razor Scales armor to reflect damage back upon your enemy, and enchanted Ruby Earrings to inflict damage every other turn, the Black Knight would face steady damage without raw attack power to absorb for himself. But if you happen upon a powerful magical weapon, do you dare take it up, knowing it will strengthen the Black Knight for the fight ahead, but come to your aid should you survive it?"

The player controls the hero as they move through a minimalist yet charming retro-style world. Each move takes time, and as they explore, players can collect weapons, artefacts, and equipment (e.g. each chest contains a selection from which players must choose), fight smaller enemies, and encounter merchants. During the day, these creatures are relatively passive, but at night they actively hunt. Players can avoid unnecessary damage by taking shelter at campfires, but this means they risk missing out on experience and rewards as it is therefore crucial to find, obtain and combine the most effective equipment for the upcoming fight. Since players only have three in-game days to prepare for the arrival of the next boss, time is limited and this creates the typical sense of urgency that leads to decisions being made. There are over 350 possible items to find and collect, but limited inventory space will force some choices as well.

In He is Coming's roguelite meta loop, players can unlock new items through branching challenges that will help them in future runs. However, the random factor then comes into play again because a larger item pool can also make the run more difficult if players don't receive an important item due to the size of the pool. Nevertheless, the developers are aware of this issue and intend to address it in future patches. In a recent post, they mention "ways to mitigate RNG and an expanding item pool". In addition, an option to save runs is to be added; this is reminiscent to The King is Watching, which was launched without a classic save function too.

Last but not least, there is an alternative Kingmaker mode. In this asynchronous multiplayer setup, successful heroes can become villains in other players' games, and the most powerful character builds are uploaded to the cloud.

The Early Access version features over 30 bosses and more than 350 items spread across two biomes. Each biome has its own unique mechanics, creatures, points of interest and bosses. During the Early Access period, more items, monsters and biomes will be added to the existing foundations. Eventually, the Demon King himself will appear. Depending on player feedback, the developers are aiming to remain in Early Access for around a year.

"We're incredibly excited to partner with Hooded Horse, known for their dedication to quality and innovation, to bring He is Coming to players worldwide. With their expertise and support, we will deliver a retro-inspired experience filled with depth, strategy, and plenty of surprises for players to enjoy." - Chronocle Co-Founder Simon Lundgren

He is Coming is being developed by Chronocle, an indie game studio based in Linköping, Sweden, comprising a small but dedicated team. The game is published by Hooded Horse, a publisher specialising in strategic and tactical games including Manor Lords, Against the Storm, Endless Legend 2, Old World, Norland, Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era and 9 Kings. Starting with a single title in 2019, the company's portfolio has grown to encompass over 30 games, with more to come. Several of the games in the company's portfolio are from German studios: Super Fantasy Kingdom by Super Fantasy Games, Menace by Overhype Studios, Sons of Valhalla by Pixel Chest, Hexxen: Hunters by Ulisses Spiele Digital and Drill Keeper by ShoulderByte.

"We were blown away by how well-crafted and engaging He is Coming’s gameplay loop is. We're thrilled to have Chronocle onboard and can't wait to get this game into the hands of players." - Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender

He is Coming is now available on PC via Steam Early Access for €14.99. It is also available via PC Game Pass.

Conclusion

He is Coming is an engaging RPG auto battler that keeps players hooked with exploration and tactical planning, although the retro style may take some getting used to.

Features

• fantasy roguelite RPG autobattler
• motivating and fast-paced mix of exploration and tactical pre-planning
• Numerous items (roguelite progression)