Two of the greatest ever roguelikes combine in this spacefaring apocalypse

Earthless — (Image credit: Blackbird Interactive)

One of 2024's most promising games looks like a terrific blend of Faster Than Light and Slay the Spire.

Those two games are undoubtedly some of the best experiences the entire roguelike genre has to offer. FTL and Slay the Spire are both absorbing and thrilling in their own right, even if both put markedly different spins on the genre. Now, it sounds like they might be joining forces (thematically, if not literally) for upcoming PC game Earthless.

Forced into a spaceship with your crew as the Earth expires in a solar expansion no-one saw coming, you have to navigate your ship through the stars to reach a safe haven. While jumping between systems, you have to battle your way through hostile forces and ships, which plays out via turn-based tactical cards. There's even what looks like an imposing boss fight near the conclusion of the enthralling trailer below.

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Earthless is a riveting hybrid of FTL and Slay the Spire — tightly sealed in a retro sci-fi hull.You can play a demo during Steam Next Fest on October 9!Please RT, wishlist, and tell your friends! pic.twitter.com/Et0B0xIpXrOctober 3, 2023

Honestly, the entire thing looks sublime, a fascinating blend of strategy and painstaking decisions. It looks like there'll be lots of interactions with your crewmembers in the star ship as you flee Earth - we'll be assigning them to roles, much like in FTL.

Right now, Earthless is slated to enter early access on PC via Steam at some point later next year in 2024. Even more exciting, it's coming from some space-gaming royalty in the form of Blackbird Interactive, the team behind the excellent Hardspace: Shipbreaker and the much anticipated Homeworld 3. As Blackbird noted to one cheeky Twitter user, however, Earthless most definitely is not the reason Homeworld 3 was recently delayed - there's a much smaller team beavering away on the roguelike compared to the huge spacefaring strategy game.

If you want to keep an eye on Earthless (as we definitely will after that stellar trailer), you can wishlist the roguelike over on Steam.

You can also peruse our guide to the best roguelikes to see what you can while away the hours with in the meantime.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.