Hey Guardians!
We’re super happy to be part of Steam Next Fest! Ocean Keeper Co-op is our first-ever co-op game and a continuation of the original Ocean Keeper. We’re still developing it, but our north star is simple: make it fun. We’d love you to try the demo, poke at the systems, and tell us what made you smile (or yell). Below we’ll quickly share what the game’s about – hopefully it hooks you enough to dive in.
What’s the game?
Ocean Keeper Co-op is a team roguelike built around a tight loop: dig → haul → level up → defend → repeat. You dive into caves packed with puzzles, anomalies, teleports and veins—then race topside to beat back enemy waves before diving again.
Roles matter, but they’re player-chosen. At the start of a run you decide how you want to help the team:
the Miner breaks blocks faster and charts routes;
the Courier moves faster and carries more, hauling loot to the surface.
You can also mix responsibilities – a good squad plans routes together and adapts on the fly.
Leveling & card draft
Your resources don’t buy upgrades directly. Instead, everything you haul contributes to your team’s shared experience. Hit a new level and the whole squad sees a draft of six cards – you pick four together. These cards are your buildcraft: weapon buffs, mining boosts, movement speed, shields, heals, and big “nukes” for clutch moments. At the end of each wave there’s another card reward scaled by how well you did. Powerful abilities go into a skill queue, so part of the fun is planning who triggers what and when during the next assault.
Cave content & anomalies
Caves stay fresh because their contents shift: puzzle structures that reward coordination, and anomalies –from mists that reverse controls or boost speed to stranger effects that bend the rules underground. The deeper you go, the harder it gets – but the richer the ore. Smart routing (and knowing when to call it) is half the game.
Mech defense & weapon synergies
Up top, your central Mech is the line you must hold. Waves escalate, bosses show up, and your build choices start to shine. Weapon loadouts are on you: each Keeper can cover long-, mid-, or close-range, so synergy matters – the best runs are the ones where everyone’s lane is clear and timing is tight.
You can play solo up to four players, but we designed the cadence and chaos for a full squad of four –that’s where the teamwork really sings.
Roadmap: Next Fest
During Steam Next Fest (Oct 13–20) we’ll roll out the demo and trailer, jump on a couple of live streams with the team, run a small giveaway, host a quick AMA, organize a community playtest, and finish with a short wrap-up. Right after the Fest we move straight into hotfixes and balance changes based on feedback.
If that sounds like your kind of co-op, jump into the Next Fest demo, try both underground roles, experiment with weapon ranges and card synergies, and tell us what you’d tweak. We’re listening in Steam Discussions and on Discord – your feedback drives our patches. If you enjoy the demo, a wishlist helps a ton.
Enjoy the game!