Dungeon Defenders: Going Rogue

Dungeon Defenders: Going Rogue
Information
Developer(s)	Chromatic Games
Publisher	TBA
Platforms	PC
Release Date	PC: March 29, 2022 (Steam Early Access); TBA (Full Release) Xbox One/Series X: TBD PlayStation 4/5: TBD Nintendo Switch: TBD
Latest Version	PC: N/A

Dungeon Defenders: Going Rogue (DDGR) is an early access action roguelite spinoff set in the world of Etheria. The game is being cross-developed with Awakened.

Gameplay

Up to four players travel from map-to-map, defending Eternia Crystals and fighting bosses until they lose or defeat the last boss. What order maps/stages/levels are played in and their contents are randomized on every run, with the exception of boss encounters which are always met after a fixed number of stages. Heroes have a limited amount of slots for their weapon actions, abilities and defenses, which can change over the course of a run. Defenses are treated like abilities in that they have cooldowns and restricted lifespans. All heroes can use Swift Assault by default for the purpose of mobility. Players can visit the Tavern in-between levels to shop for equipment. The three classic DD bosses have new attacks they never use in DDA and have distinct health-dependent phases. The Demon Lord can create radial flame waves, for example, and unleash many waves in succession during his second phase.

Going Rogue is a roguelite and not a roguelike, because players keep some of their progress after they lose. For instance, they start with only the Squire and unlock other heroes as their account level rises.

Development

Going Rogue spawned from the Test of Power game mode created during the development of DDA Episode 2. The team enjoyed playing it a lot and naturally wanted to expand on the roguelite concept. At the same time, Chromatic needed a solution to Awakened's underwhelming performance financially, in order to fund the production of DDA content updates past Episode 2. They openly admit that the tower defense genre has gotten more niche overtime as well. By reusing many assets from Awakened and selling Going Rogue as a standalone game instead of DLC, it gives Chromatic a low-risk opportunity to experiment with gameplay that appeals to previously unforeseen audiences. This also allows them to work on both games efficiently and simultaneously. Knowing that tower defense and roguelikes/roguelites have very different player demographics, Chromatic offers an Awakened-Going Rogue bundle where if the user already owns one of the games, they can buy the other one at a discounted price.

Chromatics expects the game's early-access period to last shorter than one year.

Reception

Early Access

Dungeon Defenders Going Rogue first launched on Steam without any prior announcement. The game's surprise drop was met with mixed emotions among DD fans. Some are optimistic about DDGR's potential, while others are against Chromatic's decision to develop it in the first place.

Going Rogue faces competition with well-known and highly praised roguelites, most notably Hades.

Full Release

N/A

Trivia

• Going Rogue is the first time in 8 years where the Squire wears his helmet with the crusader mask intact by default.
• Chromatic plans to add the Rogue hero to DDGR, despite the game being directly named after him.

PC System Requirements

*Taken from the Steam Store Page.

Eternal Links

Steam Store Page

References

• https://forums.dungeondefenders.com/entry/159402-dungeon-defenders-going-rogue-early-access-out-now/
• https://forums.dungeondefenders.com/forums/topic/169725-open-and-honest-development-insight/