Robot roguelike Cogmind outlines three free expansions for its ultra-customizable scrapbots
Modular robot roguelike Cogmind has outlined big plans for its next year or so of updates, with three big expansions coming alongside the final, proper 1.0 release after a decade in development. Turns out there’s a lot coming still for the game about a little robot rising from the scrapheap to the top of a megastructural robot society.
The first expansion, Scraptown, will bring a new faction and optional alliance with new robot classes and game-changing new items—as well as a 10th ending. The second, Unchained, was funded by Patreon supporters and will focus on adding a system of player character hunting, cross-area custom bots for those who cause too much trouble. The third will add a Merchant’s Guild, which will apparently not be what you’d expect given the name and bring yet another faction to align yourself with. Somewhere in that six or more patches, says the dev, there’ll be a 1.0 release.
Cogmind, first released back in 2015, then on Steam in 2017, is one of those long-lived traditional roguelikes that has a very dedicated, loving fanbase behind it. In it, you’re a scrapped self-aware robot inside a sprawling sci-fi megastructure complex run entirely by a giant artificial intelligence. In short, the dungeon is a huge self-expanding body that considers you an infectious pathogen inside itself. To advance, you have to shoot off and scavenge new parts from the existing denizens of the complex.
Back in those days PC Gamer checked in, said it was good for traditional roguelike RPG fans, and checked out. It has been a while, I think, and a lot of increased profile for this kind of niche roguelike is key—Cogmind was, after all, only going to be in Early Access before it saw the success that has propelled it to nearly a decade of public development. I say Early Access, but it has been a very complete game for years, since 2018 or so—the dev just keeps adding new stuff to it.
If that kind of game with that level of depth appeals to you then feel free to go check out Cogmind on Steam for $25, where you can also read all these future plans in the Cogmind Vision 2024 post.