Starlight Re:Volver is a roguelite action RPG disguised as a high-octane anime opening, and it's dropping next year

The action in Starlight Re:Volver is like watching those anime openings where the characters do cooler stuff than they ever pull off in the actual show. Its bright cast of characters smash enemies apart with screen-filling beams of light and explosions as they clear out levels within its roguelite structure.

The latest trailer, which debuted at The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted today, is a peek into what it'll be like jumping into action as its four playable characters, who each look ripped right out of a show trending on CrunchyRoll. You can play them solo or in four-player co-op. The trailer has them all: You've got a pink girl with a big hammer, a blue girl with two pistols, a green boy with a big gun, and a small boy who floats and does magic. That's exactly the kind of team fit for saving the world in style.

Both worlds, actually. Starlight Re:Volver takes place on a magical island called Nishi Island Metropolis, and your characters have the ability to step into So Mi, a dreamlike realm conveniently brimming with monsters to bash. Like a lot of modern roguelites, it has a meta-level progression where you find ability-modifying Charms and other items that you can bring out of each run to craft gear and customize the look of your characters.

On first glance, the gameplay shots remind me of League of Legends if it had the saturation cranked up to 100 and abilities that covered the screen, which isn't totally surprising because this is coming from some former Riot Games developers. The Steam page for the game says there will be combos to pull off and attacks that can break parts of the levels away. Hammer girl holds her weapon up like a staff and fires a beam of energy in the trailer, and I'm sure that's going to leave some marks.

Starlight Re:Volver will launch in early access next year and its developer, Pahdo Labs, says it'll be gathering feedback as it shapes the game into something it expects to release a couple years later. It will provide a roadmap for what updates to expect and when the game will be considered finished.

Tyler has covered videogames and PC hardware for 15 years. He regularly spends time playing and reporting on games like Diablo 4, Elden Ring, Overwatch 2, and Final Fantasy 14. While his specialty is in action RPGs and MMOs, he's driven to cover all sorts of games whether they're broken, beautiful, or bizarre.

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