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Project ETHOS is a free-to-play roguelike hero shooter from 2K Games

The debut project from 31st Union has a familiar aesthetic, but it looks to be trying something different, with a playtest opening today.

Ozzie Mejia

October 17, 2024 9:00 AM

2K Games

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Publisher 2K Games unveiled a new game on Thursday. It's the debut project from the team at 31st Union. The San Francisco-based developer showed off something that may look familiar at first glance. However, once people get through the visual resemblance to a game that rhymes with "Schmoverwatch," they may find something a little different. It's a hero shooter that's designed to be more of a roguelike (something similar to a game that rhymes with "Schmades") experience. It's called Project ETHOS and 2K is wasting no time getting it in front of users with a community playtest starting today.

Project ETHOS is described as a third-person roguelike hero shooter where the idea is to pick a role and gradually grow into a multi-dimensional threat over the course of multiple sessions. Players will take their hero into the Trials mode, which focuses on multiple fights against waves of enemies. Between battles, heroes can be buffed with Evolutions, which can amplify their abilities or assist allies. Over time, users can collect cores and unlock Augments to help boost their hero for their current run and also for future runs.

There's also (as some might expect upon hearing the phrase "hero shooter") a multiplayer component to Project ETHOS. The game's Gauntlet mode will pit teams against one another where the winners will continue on and select upgrades in-between matches. The tournament will continue until one team is left standing.

Project ETHOS is kicking off its community playtest today. Those who want to give it a look can pick up a PC code by watching select Twitch streams for Twitch Drops. Simply watch a designated stream for 30 minutes to receive a key for the game. The playtest will run through Sunday, October 20 with servers closing at 11 p.m. PT/2 a.m. ET each day. The full version of Project ETHOS is coming soon to PC.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?