Loot Rascals is the deck-building, hexploring '80s cartoon you always longed to play

Watching the trailer for Loot Rascals, I felt like I'd slipped into an episode of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace by way of Danger Mouse.

Watching the trailer for Loot Rascals, I felt like I'd slipped into an episode of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace by way of Danger Mouse. Despite the deadpan sidekick's best efforts, however, it's not great at explaining what Loot Rascals is. I did the legwork, and behind the fantastically surreal exterior (designed by an ex-Hohokum dev—who'd have thought?) is an intriguing new take on asynchronous multiplayer.

Think Dark Souls' sporadically converging worlds and you're almost there. In Loot Rascals, you explore a hex-based planet battling storybook monsters for loot and resources. You build a 'deck' of loot, allowing you to take down nastier monsters, but must decide what loot to sacrifice to keep your health and such topped up.

Thing is, these monsters have had it with heroes' monopoly on looting. If you die, they'll loot you silly. That monster then possesses (and uses) your loot for every other player whose world it occupies. If another player kills it, they can choose to keep your hard-earned gear or send it back to you.

Keeping ill-gotten gear might jack up your power, but you'll be haunted by the vengeful, AI-controlled spirit of the rightful owner. Send the loot home, and your benevolence will be rewarded by a friendly ghost.

Loot Rascals will be unleashed early 2017.