Gather around, Invaders!
I'm absolutely thrilled to finally lift the curtain on my passion project, Monolith: Rogue TD! This is my first-ever devlog, and I wanted to share my vision, what the game is all about, and how it’s shaping up.
A Love Letter to Tower Defense
For those who don't know me, I'm a massive, die-hard fan of the Tower Defense genre. I've spent countless hours strategizing and optimizing defense layouts. Games like Rogue Tower have been a huge inspiration, proving just how well the roguelike elements can blend with TD. This love is the main reason I decided to try my hand at creating something new in this genre.
So, what is Monolith: Rogue TD? In short, it’s a Roguelike Tower Defense game with Deckbuilding elements.
A little side note: I'm not doing this alone! My sister has been a huge help, especially with the 3D models you see in the game.
The Core Gameplay Loop
At its heart, Monolith is classic Tower Defense, but with a Roguelike twist that makes every "Invasion" (or run) unique and challenging:
Procedural Map Generation: Every Invasion starts fresh. You begin with a small space and choose which direction to expand the map. You never know what's new you'll reveal - it might be an easier path for you, or a new chokepoint that ramps up the difficulty!
Permanent Progression: Crucially, your effort is always rewarded. Win or lose, after every Invasion, you earn Experience Points. These points are spent in a persistent Progression Tree, allowing you to strengthen the Monolith's core powers or unlock new cards for towers. There will be diverse paths to choose from, letting you define your long-term strategy.
The Deckbuilding Element: Strategy and Synergy
This is where things get really interesting! Monolith introduces a deep deckbuilding mechanic.
Cards Define Your Run: After every Invasion, you earn points which you can use to unlock various new Cards for your collection. The only exceptions are the most powerful Rare Cards, which are unlocked by completing unique In-Game Challenges. Furthermore, Card Packs are integrated directly into the game's Progression Tree, serving as major milestones and rewards as you strengthen the Monolith.
Your Deck = Your Towers & Buffs: The deck you bring into an Invasion dictates what towers, unique buffs, and debuffs you have access to. Want to focus on slowing-down towers and damage-over-time effects? Build a deck for it! Preparing for a specific world? Tailor your deck to its unique challenges!
The Lore: Environmental Storytelling
The world of Monolith is deep and mysterious, and I’m aiming for environmental storytelling - think along the lines of the atmosphere and cryptic lore found in From Software games.
What is the Monolith? It's a mysterious, cosmic force that travels between worlds, systematically draining all life and spreading Corruption. Once a world is completely drained, the Monolith moves on to the next. The residents of these worlds don't understand its origin; it's a terrifying, natural catastrophe to them.
Deepening the Story: You'll uncover this lore through an in-game Lexicon, tower descriptions, and the stories of the attacked world inhabitants.
Diverse Worlds, Unique Challenges
The Monolith doesn't stop at one world. The worlds it invades will be drastically different from each other:
Unique Biomes and Foes: Each world presents unique challenges and entirely new enemy species. A strategy perfected against the rock-like Golems in one world will need serious adaptation when facing the faster, perhaps spectral, foes of another!
Targeting Both Casual & Hardcore Fans
I want Monolith to be fun for everyone. Before starting any Invasion, you will have extensive options to customize the difficulty level - from a more casual experience to a brutal, unforgiving challenge. Naturally, higher difficulties will yield more experience!
Gameplay Flow:
Prep: Choose your deck and difficulty.
Start: Place your initial towers and choose your first map expansion direction.
Survive: Your goal is to protect the Monolith’s Core, survive for 30 days and corrupt the world as much as you can. If you do, the world collapses, and the inhabitants are defeated.
Bosses: Every 10 days, a powerful Boss will appear, often alongside new enemy types, forcing you to constantly adapt your strategy and tower placement.
Current Status: Pre-Alpha and Moving Fast!
Right now, Monolith: Rogue TD is in a solid Pre-Alpha state. Most of the core systems and mechanics are implemented! I am now heavily focused on adding content and features:
I'm constantly refining and expanding the Monolith's power mechanics.
New types of Towers and Cards are being designed and implemented.
The Progression Tree is under active development.
Currently, we have one fully playable world and one nearly complete enemy faction (including all bosses!) ready for testing.
Thank you so much for reading and showing interest in Monolith: Rogue TD! I'm pouring my heart into this, and I can't wait to share more with you.