Hack-and-slash dungeon crawler Rotwood is now a lot more delicious. The chaotic co-op game from Klei Entertainment, developers of Don’t Starve, Invisible Inc, and Oxygen Not Included, has continued to grow since its early access launch in April 2024. As we near its first anniversary, Klei has just dropped a packed free update that introduces more progression options, a cool family of 17 frost powers, and an overhaul for its Molded Grave biome.
If you’ve yet to dive into Rotwood, it brings Klei’s distinctive style to the realm of hack-and slash co-op games, inviting you and your friends on dungeon-crawling adventures that see you set out from a central town hub to stave off the corrupted beasts of the eponymous Rotwood. Structurally, it feels comparable to roguelikes such as Cult of the Lamb or Hades, and Klei’s new update aims to improve the sense of progression with more long-term goals beyond simply winning runs.
The Rotwood Delicious Update introduces three major features. The first is farming and cooking, which give you a way to target multiple forms of progression simultaneously, and also allow you to keep moving forward even if you’re hitting a wall on the combat side. You can plant crops from each of the regions to harvest materials from their respective zones, along with special ingredients that are unique to each crop type.
These ingredients can then be taken to the new camp cook, Glorabelle, and turned into a variety of meals that are stored in a lunch box. Upon starting a run, you’ll have the chance to consume one of these to gain an immediate power. Klei teases a few possible options, which range from Running Shoes that let you get around faster to more build-defining choices like Static Shock, putting electricity at your fingertips from the very start.
Looking for something cool to play around with? The new family of frost powers are just what you’re after. Rather than focusing on raw damage or survivability, they’re primarily about controlling the battlefield. Freeze enemies in place, set up chain reactions of icy explosions, or hurl snowballs when you dodge – there are a total of 17 to discover, so you’ll have plenty of room to experiment.
Rounding out the new update is the arrival of another Super Frenzy run, this time in the Molded Grave. You’ll have to take on the enhanced swarm in the acid-rich biome, so make sure to bring gear with appropriate resistances. There are new swarm boss weapons up for grabs, so get hunting. Klei has also rebalanced Super Frenzy slightly to make the mode slightly more approachable to start.
The new-look Super Frenzy maps focus entirely on combat, taking away material rewards and meta progression rooms. Bosses have been made a little less punishing to fight, tough modifiers such as ‘No Freebies’ have been moved deeper in the progression, and heavy attacks will now interrupt the dangerous Imbued enemies. The Delicious Update is out now, so if you’ve been waiting for the right time to delve into the Rotwood, this might be it.
If you simply can’t get enough of carving your way through the cacophony, the best hack-and-slash games are a great option, as are many of the best action games, so take your pick.
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