Lynked: Banner of the Spark

Dreamhaven has released its first game as a publisher: Lynked: Banner of the Spark, developed by FuzzyBot. It is a surprisingly good (cooperative) roguelite action game. But that's not surprising, as the company is backed by well-known people with a lot of experience in the industry.

Lynked: Banner of the Spark is the debut game from developer FuzzyBot and the first game published by Dreamhaven. It is a roguelite game with dynamic combat and an upgradeable city that can be played solo or cooperatively with up to three people. The game is set in a futuristic world overrun by "Comboter" forces. To fight back, players must rescue robotic allies - the Unibots - who populate their city and help them create special weapons that in turn make players stronger.

It's classic hack-and-slash action, but the pace is slower than, say, Hades. It plays a little more tactically, and characters and attacks are very responsive. You can also perform combos, hurl objects from the environment and trap enemies with your grappling claw called the Wyre. As a roguelite, the game features (permanent) global and (temporary) in-run upgrades. Players craft weapons that carry over from run to run, as well as permanent active and passive skills. In a mission run, players upgrade their weapon at the end of each successful room completion - either by adding temporary levels to their weapon or by adding and upgrading weapon mods. Lynked has a mission-based structure to change the rules, difficulty, playtime and rewards of each run.

Between missions, and this is what makes Lynked: Banner of the Spark special, players can expand their city by completing missions and with the help of robot allies. The pool of over 100 characters can be rescued by completing generated missions called Contracts. Completing These increases loyalty, which grants currency that players can use to upgrade skills and their grapple. The city also has systems for gathering, fishing and farming.

"When we started FuzzyBot in 2020, we were nervous but also thrilled to create something of our own. We wanted to build something filled with optimism and joy, and we hope Lynked is able to carry that message forward. We hope players enjoy what we built here; it’s a big game with a whole lot of heart." - Max Spielberg, FuzzyBot cofounder and game director.

FuzzyBot is a game development studio based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 2020 by game developers with expertise in multiplayer action from studios such as Ubisoft, Bungie and Electronic Arts. Creative Director is Max Spielberg, son of Steven Spielberg. The studio now employs 25 people. Lynked: Banner of the Spark is their first project.

"The FuzzyBot team is a talented, creative bunch with a ton of experience, and that shows through completely in Lynked. They've created something filled with personality and surprises, and they're very in tune with what players are looking for. We're proud to be working with them and excited for everyone to get their hands on the game." - Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Dreamhaven.

Dreamhaven is a US-based game developer and publisher. The company has two in-house studios (Secret Door and Moonshot Games) and provides publishing services to independent developers or shares knowledge and advice with members of its partner studio programme. The publisher's CEO is Mike Morhaime. He co-founded Blizzard Entertainment in 1991 with Frank Pearce and Allen Adham. Morhaime served as CEO and President of Blizzard Entertainment until October 2018. In September 2020, he founded Dreamhaven, with a number of industry veterans some former Blizzard colleagues of Morhaime's also working at Secret Door and Moonshot Games. Lynked: Banner of the Spark is the first game Dreamhaven is releasing as a publishing partner.

Lynked: Banner of the Spark launched on Steam Early Access on 22 October. It features 24 campaign missions - the first four chapters of the game - as well as replayable side missions and a range of equipment, upgrades and town customisation options. Early Access is currently scheduled to end in 2025, depending on feedback received.

Conclusion

Lynked: Banner of the Spark is a bit of a surprise. The roguelite action plays well and the expansion of the player's city is motivating.

Features

• Good hack-and-slash action with a motivating progression system
• Expansion and upgrading of the player's town
• Well paced and good at combining the two core gameplay elements.