We’re running heists and exploring puzzle-filled mansions this week in gaming

Somehow, we’ve managed to come to another Friday (it was just Monday I do not understand what happened), and while this week was a little on the slimmer side of large AAA game releases, let’s talk games.

We’ve got heists (Monaco 2), intergalactic roguelike puzzle combat (LONESTAR), a randomly shifting puzzle mansion (Blue Prince), and an indie roguelike I’ve decided to spotlight this week (Slice & Dice).

What’s Yours is Mine: Monaco 2

The original Monaco was a game that my friends and I spent a lot of time playing way back in… wow, 2014. Ten years on, and Monaco 2 is here with a fresh coat of paint and some new characters, but the premise, execution, and fun is still there.

For those unfamiliar, Monaco takes inspiration from movies like Oceans Eleven, Heat, and Mission: Impossible, with you and up to three additional friends taking on the roles of one of eight characters whose goal is to get in, get the goods, and get out. Where the original Monaco had the world devoid of color other than what your character can see, in Monaco 2 this is shown simply as blueprint mode, allowing you to case the joint before you go in to liberate your newfound wealth. Pick from one of eight different characters who have their own specialties, including a dog and owner combo named Cosmo and Panzer (you know you want to play as Cosmo and Panzer).

Get Monaco 2 for $25 on Steam.

Early Access Spaceship Roguelike: LONESTAR

Obligatory warning: LONESTAR is currently in an Early Access state.

LONESTAR has been on my wishlist for a while now, since it was first announced during a previous Steam NextFest. It’s a roguelike game where you build a spaceship from available parts, pick a pilot with specific skills, and attempt to take on bounties on other ships. Combat initially seems as simple as “I have bigger guns than they do so I win,” as the LONESTAR universe’s official way of battle is for two ships to fire a super-laser at each other and whoever overpowers, wins — however, after the introduction tutorial, skills and equipment will play a much bigger role in your loadout and future space combat. With over 50 pilots (including: a panda, at least two dogs, a raccoon, some cool androids, and a robot who looks like Space Picasso), 230+ treasures to find, and 250+ different spaceship parts to find and use, the game should scratch that roguelike spaceship builder itch for some time.

Get LONESTAR for $11.05 on Steam.

Mystery Mansion: Blue Prince

Blue Prince is an interesting little title: part roguelike, part puzzle game, entirely something that sticks in the back of your mind when you’re not playing it. The premise behind Blue Prince is that you’ve entered the manor of Mt. Holly, a mansion with a layout of shifting rooms — and your goal is to make it to Room 46. Each day you only have so much stamina to explore, and when you go to open a door you’re given three random (hence the roguelike part) different rooms to choose from, which will lead you to finding new hints, secrets, or combinations on your journey to Room 46. When the day ends and your stamina runs out, the manor will reset its layout, and the next day you’ll be given three more rooms to pick from, which may be completely different than before.

Get Blue Prince for $27 on Steam.

Indie Roguelike Spotlight: Slice & Dice

Slice & Dice is a roguelike passion project by solo developer Tann, having spent the last seven years working on the premise. You have five characters, each hero having their own class, and you roll dice to see what you can do each turn. Sometimes, you can unleash a crazy chain combo attack between your squad, just eviscerating the enemy! … and sometimes you can just set up blocking and pray you make it to the next turn.

Slice & Dice allows for you to either upgrade a character’s class (of which there are 128 classes) or get equipment after a battle, which leads to an interesting conundrum: do you upgrade your character’s class and hope for more powerful abilities, or do you get them better gear which might make up for the lack of skills? Enemies in this game will actually run away if they find you are overwhelmingly more powerful than them, so both options have their pros and cons.

Get Slice & Dice for $9 on Steam.