During the “Triple-i Initiative Showcase,” which aired on October 9 at 1:00 a.m., 11 bit studios announced *Volatiles*, developed by Team Instant Defeat, for PC (Steam).
A roguelike where you build the battlefield tile by tile
This game is a top-down action roguelike where you expand the battlefield using tiles.
Each run starts with just a single tile. You battle hordes of aliens to gain experience points, and as you level up, you add tiles to expand the battlefield.
New tiles bring weapons, upgrades, healing items, tools, defensive structures, and synergies that come with inherent risks. Where you place each tile directly shapes your build.
You, the player, determine the shape of the map. Whether you build it wide to ensure room to maneuver or deliberately make it narrow to lure swarms into self-destruction, your combat strategy changes drastically depending on how you place the tiles.
If you fail a run, you’ll be sent back into a tank filled with water. The press release describes the game as a fusion of *Vampire Survivors* and *Dorfromantik*, featuring active combat.
The battlefield lies within the player’s mind. With each run, you’re dragged deeper and deeper into the nightmare of analog sci-fi.
The protagonist, trapped in a secret laboratory with no memory of how they got there, is told that this is part of their treatment—yet something buried deep within their mind seems to be revealing scenes of a battlefield that shouldn’t even exist.
Outside the nightmare, strangers at the research facility watch the protagonist’s situation intently.
The developer, Team Instant Defeat, is a small indie studio that has operated entirely remotely since its inception. Their debut title was *DESTRUCTURE: Among Debris*, a unique game set in a post-apocalyptic world that blends bullet-hell shooters, brick-breaker games, roguelikes, and air hockey.
As for 11 bit studios, the publisher, they are a Polish developer and publisher known for titles such as *This War of Mine*, *Frostpunk*, and *The Alters*.
*Volatiles* is currently in development for PC (Steam).
