New release: Coin Crypt

Word reaches me that indie studio Dumb and Fat (a.k.a. Greg Lobanov / Banov, creator of Dubloon and Phantasmaburbia), in collaboration with an artist and a musician, has a new game out by the name of Coin Crypt. He describes the game as a “roguelite deckbuilding adventure game.”

The premise:

Chaos ensues when the ruins of an ancient coin-based civilization is discovered in the Pacific. Lootmancers battle for control of the ancient magical coins, while the old coin deities reawaken and begin manipulating events.

…

You play as a lootmancer, who can unlock the hidden power inside of coins and use them in magical duels. The loots you take from chests and enemies also become your next moves, so plan carefully!

The game is ostensibly inspired by “Dominion, Spelunky, an RPG prototype made by Terry Cavanagh, and the formative experience of playing a version of Pokemon where monsters had to be released when they fainted and all Pokemon Centers were banned.” So…deckbuilding, procedural level generation, permadeath, and whatever was in Terry Cavanagh’s prototype.

I admit, as someone who enjoys roguelike-likes and is borderline-obsessed with Dominion, I find it hard not to be at least a little intrigued by the proposition here. Here’s a release trailer showing what happens when you combine all of these disparate ingredients:

There’s also a short gameplay trailer up to show a bit more of what play sessions are like.

The game’s feature list:

•  Roguelike structure: randomly generated levels and permanent death!
• 19 unlockable character classes that each have unique gameplay!
• One of those classes is a monkey! (!!!!!)
• Constant tension: You always need to spend coins to get more coins
• A grandma that packs a whollop!
• SECRETS! (duh)

Yeah. If Dubloon taught me anything, it’s that Lobanov really likes his monkeys.

Coin Crypt is now available on Steam for $9.99 (though you’ll benefit from a 15% launch week discount if you nab it now). Windows and Mac.