If you’re into tabletop RPGs, then you’re probably familiar with Roll20, the virtual tabletop (VTT) website that lets players enjoy their favorite TTRPGs without all of that pesky “meeting up in meatspace” stuff (while still featuring the Scheduling Boss – GMs know what’s up). Apparently the co-creator of Roll20, Riley Dutton, has formed an indie dev studio known as Bag of Holding, which has released a new bullet hell roguelike MMO known as Wyld Land.
If the name Riley Dutton sounds familiar to MMO fans, it’s because he was also the founder of Ad Alternum Game Studios, which Kickstarted VR MMORPG Orbus. That game ran for eight years as the top VR MMO in our genre, but unfortunately, it’s closing next month. Here’s the pitch for Wyld Land:
“Become a Runner and take on remanants of the Ethos, an ancient civilization that left behind a disaster which your people scavenge to carve out a life. Enter a world where risk is around every corner, and one mistake will end your life — until you’re reborn to try it all again. What will you risk to rise to greatness in this strange land?”
Wyld Land promises a game world where thousands of players around the globe can connect for some fast-paced shooter combat, enjoying “fast-twitch servers” that grant precise dodging and reaction down to the pixel. As for gameplay, it appears pretty self-explanatory on a mechanical level, while the game offers an overworld with secrets to discover, constantly changing dungeons with evolving bosses, and exotic weapons to find. As for what happens on character death, all gear is lost but a resource known as echoes can be used to power up for the next run.
Wyld Land will be free-to-play with a planned season pass monetization model that promises no pay-to-win items, and is currently offering up a demo that can be played in-browser or on Steam between now and early April, so if any of this sounds like something to try, you’ve got a few weeks to do so.
