Diablo 4 and its rivals have long had their hardcore modes, where a single death brings an end to your character. Yet the action RPG format has felt somewhat underrepresented when it comes to roguelike games, despite the satisfying gameplay and random loot elements feeling like a perfect fit. Fortunately, one such indie game that I’ve had a close eye on – Gatekeeper, a sci-fi ARPG roguelike with up to four player co-op – has just arrived via Steam Early Access.
Gatekeeper sees you stepping into the shoes of the eponymous guardians of the Heart of the Universe, a key artifact responsible for maintaining the cosmic balance that has been stolen. It’s up to you to get it back; a simple mission that acts as sufficient reason to blast your way through numerous waves of enemies across multiple planets in a format reminiscent of the best roguelike games and with combat that, depending on your chosen class, feels like it lands somewhere between Diablo and the first Helldivers.
I spent some time with the game’s free prologue, Gatekeeper Infinity, and was quickly sold on the core feel of combat. Each of its playable characters features a unique skill set, specializing in a specific gameplay style. If you’re into dashing between groups with a more high-risk playstyle to unleash devastating melee combos, you can do that. If you’d rather keep your distance with a shotgun, sucking enemies together with vacuum grenades and calling in airstrikes reminiscent of the original Helldivers, that’s an option too.
At launch, Gatekeeper features seven playable characters, four planets with 18 locations to visit, and 81 artifacts to collect. Along with the standard roguelike mode, there’s also the popular arena mode, a pure survival experience that’s more reminiscent of games like Vampire Survivors. You can play Gatekeeper in single-player or online co-op, with up to four players and the ability to search for public lobbies if you want to find others to join.
Gatekeeper is out now on Steam in early access. Developer Gravity Lagoon says it plans for the game to spend a year in early access, with the full release “tentatively scheduled” for the second quarter of 2025, depending on feedback from players. You can get it now, with a 20% discount available through Sunday May 26 meaning you’ll pay just $11.99/£10.39 now, or $14.99/£12.99 after that date.
Beyond launch, a rough roadmap is already available on the game’s Steam store page. The first update, set to arrive in the third quarter of 2024, will add interplanetary stores, a new quest, an artifact pack, new locations, and an artifact-banning mechanic. Beyond that, future updates are planned to introduce three new Gatekeepers, two new planets, and the game’s final boss (set to arrive around the game’s launch, alongside a new mode).
If you can’t get enough ARPG action in your life, here are the best games like Diablo that you can play right now. Alternatively, we’ve rounded up all the best indie games to play in 2024.
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