Steam launch: Hades, but co-op - New action roguelike hits Steam with 33% launch discount

Action roguelikes have grown into a reliable genre over the past few years, with games like Hades setting the gold standard for solid narratives and replayable dungeon runs. Now, Sworn is showing up with its own twist on the same genre - cooperative play. After several months in early access, the game has officially launched on Steam with a 33% discount.

Sworn has been developed by Windwalk Games and published by Team17. The game transports players to a dark take on Arthurian legend. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have fallen to corruption, and players, as sworn knights, must fight through waves of enemies to reclaim Camelot. The structure should feel instantly familiar to Hades fans: procedurally generated rooms, short runs that end in tough boss battles, and a hub for permanent upgrades between attempts.

Undoubtedly, the key difference lies in its multiplayer design. Sworn supports 1-4 players, with combat and loot tuned to encourage teamwork in the game. Abilities stack in creative ways, and enemies scale depending on party size, which should push players to coordinate builds and tactics. Solo play is still available, but the USP of the game is clearly a co-op experience.

The road to full release began with its early access launch in February 2025. Over those months, the developers adjusted balance, refined netcode, and built on character options based on community feedback. Players have noted improvements, though some concerns are still visible - particularly around difficulty spikes in larger groups and online connectivity hiccups.

Older reviews on Steam are "Very Positive" overall, but recent reviews (for the 1.0 launch) are not as favorable. Sure, the aggregate is still "Mostly Positive", with a fair number of players praising the melee combat and the social fun of co-op runs, but at the same time, indefinite comparisons to Hades are unavoidable. A lot of players see Sworn as the closest thing to "Hades with friends," while critics state that it borrows a little too heavily from its inspiration.

With a launch discount of 33% bringing its price down to $16.74 and the promise of ongoing support, Sworn makes a strong case for itself, especially if you're into games like Hades (and have friends to play with). You can check it out here.

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