At first glance, I’m drawn to the visual artwork in Tamarak Trail. The developers were inspired by many artists, including the Group of Seven. The Group of Seven are infamous in Canada as the landscape artists of the early to mid 20th century, so that’s a big name to throw out. I do kind of see it, though. It’s not a straight-up copy but there’s definitely influence there. When looking further into the turn-based dice rolling roguelike, I see something with a lot of potential.
When players begin the game, they will choose one of three characters: The Magician, The Tracker, and The Detective. Each has their own class and abilities, with their skills and attributes allowing players to craft unique strategy for their character as they travel the trail. The paths are procedurally-generated, creating endless play. They are filled with events, monsters, campsites, treasures, and more.
Players will have a a variety of tactical options to combat monsters and nefarious foes they’ll meet along the way, allowing them to attack directly, apply buffs and debuffs, inflict damage over time, and defend. Everything revolves around the dice, considered integral to the combat system and player experience. Since can provide both active and passive abilities. Rolls can combo for brutal attacks if the sides of the dice interact with each other. After each victory, dice can be customized.
“We’re never one to shy away from a strong and intriguing narrative or stylized art direction, especially when it’s backed up with deeply layered and innovative gameplay mechanics like this,” said Steve Escalante, general Manager of Versus Evil, in a press release. “Tamarak Trail is a title that fits in perfectly with what we’re all about as a publisher. We love how it will excite the deckbuilder fans while also delivering a solid roguelite experience to fans of the genre.”
Developed by Yarrow Games and published by Versus Evil, Tamarak Trail will be released for PC in Q2 2023.
