4OGUE
Co-op roguelike. Solo with three specters who remember, or four-player. Permadeath.
4OGUE is a roguelike game. It costs $15 once — a one-time purchase, not a subscription. You can play it in the browser today. iOS, Android and Steam are planned.
The co-op roguelike where even solo isn't solo. Three specters descend with you — AI teammates with real archetypes, banter, and memory that survives death. Or bring up to four humans. Ten floors down, ten back — hack the dungeon, disguise, and set monsters against each other along the way. Permadeath. $15, no ads.
The co-op roguelike. Even solo isn't solo.
4OGUE is an ASCII co-op roguelike built around three pillars: simultaneous turns, emergent cooperation, and failure as entertainment. Solo or with up to three friends, descend ten floors, recover the Amulet, and ascend ten more — knowing that every death is earned and every run is its own story.
Solo plays with three AI specters. They aren't difficulty padding — they're full teammates with archetypes, memory, and dialogue. They form up beside you, bark when they kill, intercept friendly fire, and remember the floor that almost killed them last run. First-class solo, not 'hard mode.'
Cunning beats brute force. You can turn a monster to your side — or seed a rivalry and watch two of them tear into each other while you slip past. Nearly every floor holds a hackable node: reshape your path, grab resources, or manipulate what hunts you. Monsters investigate sounds where they hear them, not where you are — a Bone Whistle in the right corner empties a corridor. Disguise with a Glamour Mask, bypass with a Forged Pass, hush a den with a Quiet Censer.
No procgen slop. No grind. No meta-progression. Twenty-five minute target run length. Six-slot inventory. Shared identification across the party. Permadeath per floor, respawn next floor with starter gear. The Player 4 Test: if the worst player does the dumbest thing, is it funny or frustrating?
Demo includes: Three floors. Solo + 3 specters. Stalker encounters, Mirror moments, a boss. Free in your browser.
What’s included
- 1–4 player co-op over Steam P2P — the whole run, together
- Solo plays with 3 AI specters — first-class teammates, not 'hard mode'
- Pure CP437 ASCII on a one-draw-call shader — a distinct, readable look
- Permadeath: 10 floors down, recover the Amulet, 10 floors up
- Original 45-track soundtrack — 2 discs, Originals + Descent
- Free 3-floor demo — playable in your browser right now
Why I made it
I wanted a roguelike you descend with other people — four players, simultaneous turns, nobody sitting on their hands waiting for a turn to come around. Death is permanent and always your own, and ten floors down is only half of it; you still have to climb back out. It's finished now — but it was built to be played with other people, so that's how it's meant to be played. I'll keep supporting it — taking in everything players throw at me and doing what's best for the game.
4OGUE is covered by Our Promise: no microtransactions, free updates forever. Refundable for 14 days — just email hello@inlet.games.