One of our favorite parts of covering rogue games is stumbling across projects long before they reach mainstream. Every week, solo developers and tiny teams share months, or sometimes years, of work, hoping someone notices. More often than not, those first glimpses appear on Reddit before they appear anywhere else.
That’s exactly how we found RANOKA, after its developer shared the game on r/roguelites earlier this week. It’s still a long way from release, with a launch currently planned for 2027, but the premise was interesting enough that it immediately earned a spot on our wishlist.
Every Boss Is a Potential Party Member
Tower-climbing roguelites usually build anticipation around the boss waiting at the top of each floor. RANOKA takes a different approach by making those victories the beginning of something new, rather than the end of a fight.
You play as Ranoka, a child necromancer who wakes at the bottom of a vast tower of death and begins climbing toward whatever waits at its summit. The twist is that the enemies you defeat don’t necessarily stay dead. Rivals, fallen heroes, and other powerful foes can be raised to fight alongside you, gradually turning your greatest obstacles into the backbone of your party.
It’s a mechanic that instantly stands out because it gives every battle a little more weight. You’re not simply deciding how to defeat an enemy, you’re also wondering whether they’ll eventually become one of your strongest allies.
Tactical Battles With Plenty to Think About
That necromancy hook is supported by a combat system that looks built for players who enjoy taking their time.
Battles play out on a hex grid where positioning, flanking, reactions, class roles, stances, and environmental hazards all influence the outcome. Rather than relying on raw numbers, success appears to come from carefully placing your party and making the most of each character’s strengths. As your roster grows, so does the number of tactical options available to you.
Outside combat, there are just as many decisions to make. Wounds linger between encounters, companions can be lost permanently if you aren’t careful, and your hideout becomes the place where you reorganize your team before continuing the climb. Artifacts also promise to shake up every run by introducing powerful bonuses alongside riskier trade-offs.
One to Keep on Your Radar
The tower itself stretches across more than 40 floors, with branching routes leading to merchants, healers, story events, boss encounters, and other points of interest. If a run comes to an end, you won’t be starting completely from scratch either, as failed climbs send you back down the tower to rebuild before pushing higher once again.
There’s still plenty of development ahead before RANOKA reaches Early Access in 2027, but it’s already showing the kind of creative thinking we love seeing from independent developers. Recruiting the very bosses that stood in your way is a wonderfully simple idea, yet one that has the potential to make every victory feel meaningful. Of course, this isn’t the first game the developer has created. Soul in a Flask is also responsible for The Hollow Alchemist which launched earlier this month.
We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this one over the coming months.