A dinosaur, a mech, and a knight walk into a roguelike, and that's the setup for Out of Time, an upcoming action roguelike where time itself has fractured. Developed by Manticore Games, Out of Time is a chaotic co-op experience that drops players into a universe where the past, present, and future have all collided, forcing survivors from every era to band together in a fight for reality. Missions are fast-paced, gear is pulled from every imaginable timeline, and Infinitopia, the last safe city, is the only thing keeping the apocalypse from swallowing what's left. It's wild, colorful, and unapologetically over-the-top, and it's launching exclusively on PC via the Epic Games Store this fall.
The Best War Games recently attended a hands-off preview of Out of Time, where the devs at Manticore Games showed us the ropes of what they refer to as the "first game of its kind," a 3D multiplayer roguelike that looks like World of Warcraft and Fortnite had a roguelike baby. After spending around an hour watching Out of Time's gameplay and getting to see its beautiful, artistic world, it's clear that this game wants to do more than just throw a few timelines together. At the heart of it all is this chaotic but curated playground where rocket launchers, warhammers, and giant buzz saws all belong in the same loadout, and based on our time previewing the game, Out of Time might just pull off this crazy melting pot of a rougelike.
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Out of Time's Setting Is One of Its Most Defining Features
While Out of Time has a lot going for it, its setting is really a significant part of what sets it apart in the roguelike genre. Specifically, the game takes place after a catastrophic event called the "Shattering," where past, present, and future have collided, creating a new reality and imprisoning humanity within it. Now, they've all gathered in Infinitopia, which also acts as a social hub and a launch pad of sorts for Out of Time. Here, players gather to prepare for each run and socialize with one another, form groups with their friends and random players, and upgrade their gear and abilities.
Out of Time is a very large universe filled with different eras, all beautifully designed through the power of Core and Unreal Engine. In fact, one thing in particular that we noted during the preview was just how striking Out of Time's visuals are, and that shines even more in its environmental diversity. Each era is designed according to a certain theme befitting of their time, and the maps are all fairly large in scope and are split up into multiple zones that unlock as players progress. At launch, Out of Time will feature three different eras for players to explore, but more will be added in future updates.
Prehistoric, Medieval, Modern, Cyberpunk, Wasteland, and Solarpunk are the six eras in Out of Time.
Infinitopia is the best visual example of Out of Time's setting, and by far one of the game's most impressive feats. Within the social hub, players can fly around and see every timeline circling the outskirts of Infinitopia, showcasing their unique features and giving players an idea of what to expect from them before they start a run. Each era is fully animated within the hub as well, with features like a volcano with moving lava in the Prehistoric era, making the world feel both alive and expressive.
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'You Are What You Wear' in Out of Time
Another defining characteristic of Out of Time is its emphasis on gear, taking the road of more modern roguelikes like Hades, Dead Cells, and Risk of Rain 2. The game's gear philosophy of "You are what you wear" is exactly what it sounds like, meaning any abilities players have are based on the gear that they're wearing, as opposed to a character class. If players want to, they can wear an entire set of gear where each piece complements the set (like a full set of Druid gear), but since past, present, and future have all collided in Out of Time, they can also be a Druid with an assault rifle and absolutely no shame.
So, mixing and matching gear is without a doubt one of the best aspects of Out of Time, as it allows players to not only build a character that feels unique and personal but also one that is as bizarre or as straightforward as they want it to be. All the gear in Out of Time resembles and functions according to the era it was collected in, meaning players who make every era in the game a part of their rotation will have access to some of the craziest combos.
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Out of Time's Tether System Is the Heart of Its Chaotic, Cooperative Combat
Out of Time's Tether System Redefines Class Roles
And of course, every great roguelike needs a combat system that fuels it, and that's exactly what Out of Time strives for. Firstly, at the heart of its cooperative combat is its Tether system, which allows players to share stats with one another, so long as they don't move too far away from each other. As such, teams of three are encouraged to have a well-balanced squad (tank, healing, and damage) before starting a run, as it means they will each share stats that the rest of the team doesn't specialize in.
The Tether in Out of Time is represented by a blue line, so players can always visually see when it's active and when it is not.
This effectively changes how each role in a traditional RPG functions in Out of Time. Because the team shares stats with one another as long as they stay connected via the Tether, a tank can essentially make their teammates tanky as well. So, then, the tank's job is not just to take damage, but to ensure the entire team is able to take damage, even when the tank isn't the target. The same works with damage-dealers, where damage stats like critical hit percentage are added to the rest of the team while the Tether is active.
The goal of each run in Out of Time is to clear as much of what the devs referred to as a "purple tangle" as possible within 15 minutes. By simply moving through each zone, the team will clear out the purple tangle with their character's aura. So, the more spread out a team is, the faster they're going to clear the purple tangle. The catch, though, is finding the sweet spot where the Tether is uninterrupted, but the tangle is cleared with efficiency. Overall, it seems like an effective way to keep teams together while also creating some tension in gameplay.
When players kill monsters during a run and those monsters drop experience, the entire team levels up together, regardless of who collects the experience. Every five levels, players will have 30 seconds to choose an upgrade card for an equipped gear item (weapon, armor, boots, and helmet) that will improve it by granting it unique abilities and stat increases. Players can also see which upgrades their teammates are offered as well as which ones they select, which inevitably allows for more team coordination. Again, because of Out of Time's Tether system, any upgrades players choose will all benefit the rest of the team while the Tether remains active.
There are also random events during every run that reward players with upgrade cards once they are completed, and they involve completing tasks like defending NPCs from the encroaching monster hordes. Speaking of monster hordes, enemies level up throughout each run, so players are encouraged to take XP-gain upgrade cards when they are offered to ensure they stay above water.
Out of Time's Combat Is Intense and Chaotic
As far as combat goes in Out of Time, it's extremely chaotic, to say the least. In just about every way, it is a 3D cooperative bullet hell roguelike, where dozens upon dozens of enemies are constantly rushing players during a run. Damage numbers are always flying, and explosions, laser sounds, and level-up trills populate the soundscape the entire time, but it all just makes it look more fun in the end.
Each character can have four skills equipped at a time that are relevant to their role, and this is ultimately how the Tether system is balanced out. Yes, players can share stats with one another via Out of Time's Tether system, but they cannot share skills. As such, roles are still defined in this cooperative roguelike, even if they do blend together in some ways. During the preview, we did ask the devs how significant the difficulty spike is when the Tether is inactive, and they emphasized that it is a core part of Out of Time's gameplay, meaning players who don't pay attention to it will meet a swift demise.
Once players reach the end of a run (which changes according to which difficulty players choose), they will summon a boss who must be defeated for the run to be completed. Once the boss is defeated, each player can choose one of three pieces of gear that are offered. What's great about how Out of Time handles gear, though, is that each player can take the same piece of gear if they wish, which ensures every run feels like progress. Some MMO-like games tend to lock players out of gear once another player has chosen it, like World of Warcraft, so this is a breath of fresh air.
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Out of Time Preview — Final Thoughts
Out of Time has a lot of moving parts, but after seeing everything in action, it's hard not to walk away impressed. Between the Tether system, the chaotic gear combinations, and the wild variety of enemies and environments, this genuinely seems like the start of something special. From what we’ve seen, Manticore seems to understand exactly what kind of game it's trying to make, and that matters more than it might seem.
Of course, the real test will come when players get their hands on it, but the pieces are already lining up in the right direction. If Manticore can keep that balance between creativity and clarity, especially with how fast and frantic the action is, Out of Time could carve out a unique space in the roguelike scene. It's ambitious, chaotic, and a little unhinged, but that honestly might be exactly what makes it work.
Out of Time launches on the Epic Games Store this fall.