Flask, an autobattler recently demoed on Steam, is challenging preconceptions about the genre with its unique blend of dark fantasy art and intricate squad-building mechanics. Developed by Ghost Ship Games and featuring art from John Kenn Mortensen, the game presents a world filled with "ghoulish freaks, twisted meat, and an outpouring of emerald gore."
Players manage a mobile alchemist's tower, dispatching squads of homunculi into hazardous environments. Instead of direct combat control, players focus on gradually mutating their homunculi through alchemical flasks that grant abilities, snacks providing passive perks, and organ grafts that alter playstyles. Each class of homunculi offers multiple ability themes, encouraging players to discover complex synergies for their combat units.
The gameplay loop involves strategic preparation before each battle, with successful encounters yielding goblin blood – the primary resource for enhancing the starting homunculi into a formidable team. The game's roguelike structure introduces new components and challenges at a steady pace, allowing players to feel the progression of their squad's power in real-time.
One player's successful run saw a Warrior homunculus built around a "focus" mechanic, which, when paired with a specific flask, allowed it to unleash a flurry of extra attacks if it avoided damage. A Rogue was developed for sustained, accelerating damage, applying increasing stacks of poison before entering stealth, with an attack that grew stronger with each use. A particularly potent Ranger build utilized flasks that offered a chance for extra bullets with bonus damage, combined with another flask that guaranteed gamble successes, enabling a devastating barrage of attacks.
Flask also pits player-created homunculi squads against each other, offering a competitive element. While one player's run was cut short by an opponent's seemingly unstoppable Warrior that stacked immense armor and retaliated with increased damage, the experience highlighted the depth of build possibilities and the creativity of other players.
Despite the challenging encounters, the experience was described as highly engaging, with the assurance that even a failed run allows for the creation of a new squad. Flask does not yet have a release date, but its demo is currently available on Steam.