Steam users who are taking part in Tacticon this year now have the opportunity to take a look at Ex Sanguis thanks to its developer, Lightbulb Crew, opening up the game to its first round ofpublic playtestsas part of the event. Some might remember Lightbulb Crew thanks toOthercideits turn-based tactical roguelite title that was released back in 2020 and went on to enjoy a Very Positive rating on Steam.
Review: Othercide
Othercide blends beloved elements of turn-based strategy with its own unique brand of style and gameplay.
Ex Sanguis is a game in the same mold but sporting its own unique art style and a more advanced progression system, among other additions. Fans of its predecessor need not despair though, as it seems that Lightbulb Crew is aiming to provide more of what fans enjoyed most about its previous release.
In a “perfect” world that’s nearly devoid of life, blood is rebellion.
As its name and visuals might suggest, blood is one of the central themes of Ex Sanguis. Details of its world and story are still vague at this early stage; Lightbulb Crew has provided a little bit of background.
Players and their allies will be fighting to restore a world that was “uplifted” to an apocalyptic version of “perfection” through an event called “The Purge.” Life endures, and blood is the proof. And yet it seems that the agents of this perfection won’t be satisfied until even this last flicker is snuffed out.
Gameplay-wise, Lightbulb Crew is aiming to provide fans of roguelite and tactical games with a number of features both new and familiar in Ex Sanguis. The familiar suite of features, things those who’ve played the likes ofXCOM 2andPersona 5 Tacticamight recognize, includes physical effects, branching paths, and a roguelite-style loop.
Lightbulb Crew is aiming to provide fans of roguelite and tactical games with a number of features both new and familiar in Ex Sanguis.
So not only will players be able to leverage the abilities of individual units, but they’ll also be able to incorporate knock-backs, flanking bonuses, drawing aggro and damage-over-time hazards into their strategies. Making good use of environmental objects for extra damage or even just blocking the enemies’ line of sight is also on the menu.
Players will likelyneedto do all these things as well if their forces are going to make it through some of the higher-risk path branches too. Slower, lower-risk options will apparently be available too, but it’s likely that playing too conservatively can get someone sent back to the beginning just as easily as letting out too much aggression.
As for newer-fangled features, these include being able to stain the world red with the blood of one’s enemies and using “timeline effects” to maximize advantages. The former is exactly what it sounds like: using the agents of perfection’s own insides to bring back some of the color they stripped from the world.
Timeline effects, on the other hand, enable players to use time to influence turn order in their favor. This includes speeding things up, slowing them down or swapping “time positions.”
Anything to get an advantage, right?
Ex Sanguis will see its initial Early Access release on Steam sometime in the next year or so, with console ports following sometime after it gets its full PC release.
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