Why aren't 1st person co-op dungeon crawlers a thing?

[Blackwell]

Does this game exist?

Ever since I played Skyrim for the first time I've longed for a co-op experience of a full party of specialized class roles (fighter/MU/thief/healer) in a first person fantasy based dungeon crawler. Up til now most dungeon crawlers are the tile/turn based solo endevours (M&M, EotB, Grimrock, etc), but any realtime party based romps are surprisingly rare.

Thus far the only three games I've found with a 1st person view option and co-op options are:

BARONY

Barony on Steam

Barony is the premier first-person roguelike RPG with cooperative play. Cryptic items, brutal traps and devious monsters, like those found in classic roguelikes and CRPGs, await you. Conquer the dungeon alone, or gather a perfect party in co-op with iconic and exotic RPG classes.

store.steampowered.com

Lots of classes, fairly in-depth game engine. 3D engine is entirely voxel based.

KINGS & HEROES

View: https://youtu.be/tXke3mvEZVM


This game could have shaped up to be exactly what I was looking for, but unfortunately fell into developer creep and died on the vine.

WARHAMMER VERMINTIDE

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 on Steam

The critically acclaimed Vermintide 2 is a visually stunning and groundbreaking melee action game pushing the boundaries of the first person co-op genre. Join the fight now!

store.steampowered.com

Perfectly captures the combat engine. Basically L4D but with a Warhammer skin.

I'm looking for a dungeon crawler with these types of features:

CO-OP - Swap different characters in/out, personal loot, trading, shared exp, etc.
Classic D&D aesthetic, endless dungeons, random encounters, inns,
Several varied class options (fighter, caster, healer, support, stealth, ranged, etc).
Diablo/Looter-shooter game loop (Kill mobs, get loot/quests/bounties, etc).


My pick-3 gameplay elements would be:

WoW class/race/spec/mog variability
Diablo/Borderlands/Destiny ARPG/loot mill mechanic
Overwatch FPS engine


Blizzard was actually working on something like this:

Diablo 4 Was Once a Third-Person Soulslike - GameRevolution

A new set of interviews reveals the history of Diablo 4 development so far, including a two-year window where the game strayed far from its action RPG roots.

www.gamerevolution.com

Are there any 1st person co-op dungeon crawlers out there? If not, why not? This is an untapped game genre that is just waiting for the right game to take off.

 

[Pifanjr]

Check out Skyrim Together. It works surprisingly well.

 

[Zloth]

Lots of characters going in a dungeon together might as well be an MMO as you'll need a central server to deal with all of it. Having just a few characters connecting directly to one player might work, though. No idea why that isn't done more.

 

[Blackwell]

Lots of characters going in a dungeon together might as well be an MMO as you'll need a central server to deal with all of it. Having just a few characters connecting directly to one player might work, though. No idea why that isn't done more.

I'd imagine it could work like L4D, Borderlands, Vermintide, etc. where you just join a lobby and select your character to load.

 

[Wertbag]

I've heard that Elder Scrolls Online has a first person mode, players seem to say it works well for PvE but leaves you at a disadvantage for PvP. The only other one I'd heard of is Mortal Online (with MO2 due for release soon). Looks to be free to play, so can try at no cost which is always good, browse for them on Steam.

 

[Blackwell]

I've tried ESO but it still feels more like an MMO than a FPP type game. That MO is also an MMO, and it looks like PVP as well.

I'm just looking for a good ole' co-op romp thru some dungeons, caves, swamps, etc with my buds. Of everything I've played so far Vermintide really captures the feel but unfortunately that is just L4D with a fantasy skin. I want more like a Diablo type game where you kill mobs, smash barrels, and can load in/out multiple classes.

Aside from the games I mentioned in OP it's obvious there isn't a game like this yet. Here's hoping some future devs put something together.

 

[Blackwell]

This looks promising. A new game coming out with a sort of Hexen vibe and includes co-op:

GRAVEN on Steam

Action, mystery, and a chance for redemption await you in the gritty action first person puzzler GRAVEN. Explore a dark fantasy world as a wrongly convicted man of faith. Battle the horrors of humanity, the wilds, and beyond using the environment, magic, and armaments.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Dakkon]

There are a plethora of really old school first person dungeon crawlers if you're into old games.
Eye of Beholder series, older Elder Scrolls and newer titles Legend of Grimrock 1 and 2.

 

[Blackwell]

There are a plethora of really old school first person dungeon crawlers if you're into old games.
Eye of Beholder series, older Elder Scrolls and newer titles Legend of Grimrock 1 and 2.

Yep, love those games too. What I'm looking for though is a true FPP with co-op. Think Diablo with an Overwatch engine.

 

[JCgames]

I can't believe no one has mentioned "Dungeons and Dragons" online. that game is fantastic, and is made for a party of 4 or so people. There is tons of content that you can play for free, but the premium dungeons are very good. You don't need to spend a ton either if you work the sales. I spent 50 bucks and have most of the content to level 10 which is a huge amount. (level cap is 20)

I don't know how the community is today, but if you already have your group give the game a try, even if you don't go for it. Healers are always welcome on any group, but mages, warriors, rouge are all fun.


I hear neverwtiner nights online is good too, but i've never played, but DDO is nothing but instanced dungeon crawls. Small town hubs, and you launch the dungeons from doors around the city. IMO it's better than skyrim by a lot as far as a dungeon crawling experiance goes.

 

[Blackwell]

I can't believe no one has mentioned "Dungeons and Dragons" online. that game is fantastic, and is made for a party of 4 or so people. There is tons of content that you can play for free, but the premium dungeons are very good. You don't need to spend a ton either if you work the sales. I spent 50 bucks and have most of the content to level 10 which is a huge amount. (level cap is 20)

I don't know how the community is today, but if you already have your group give the game a try, even if you don't go for it. Healers are always welcome on any group, but mages, warriors, rouge are all fun.


I hear neverwtiner nights online is good too, but i've never played, but DDO is nothing but instanced dungeon crawls. Small town hubs, and you launch the dungeons from doors around the city. IMO it's better than skyrim by a lot as far as a dungeon crawling experiance goes.

Both excellent suggestions and I play both of those as well. Trouble is each is an MMO and has that certain MMO feel where you are waiting for global cooldowns to perform your next action. Plus they are 3rd person.

What I'm looking for is a 1st person Co-op ARPG dungeon crawler. At this point I don't think any really exist yet.

 

[JCgames]

Grimrock Is a pretty solid first person game, though it's not really a FPS, you do move in FP and have a group on your grid. You move around and solve puzzles to get deeper, very solid game.

 

[Blackwell]

Grimrock Is a pretty solid first person game, though it's not really a FPS, you do move in FP and have a group on your grid. You move around and solve puzzles to get deeper, very solid game.

Grimrock is fantastic,, as is the sequel. Love those tile based crawlers.

What I'm looking for is a free moving FPP game that also has co-op. It simply doesn't exist.

 

[420Shagrat]

Found this thread by chance when doing a Google search for first-person roguelike, and yeah I too wonder why that isn't a thing. I've longed for a game like that since I first started playing Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, which is when I found out that medieval FPS combat can actually be good, unlike the generic crap we see in games like Skyrim. Take that type of melee / archery gameplay, add a fun spellcasting system (like Skyrim but balanced), roguelike elements from games like Barony and a good AI and you'd have the game that every fantasy lover out there dreams of.

I don't know why this hasn't been done yet. Even a top-down MOBA-like gameplay would work very well (think Battlerite meets Warcraft 3 Impossible Bosses map) for a dungeon crawler co-op, but for now we just don't have any options. My friends and I play Barony every once in a while, but I'm not really a fan of how it handles combat.

 

[Blackwell]

420Shagrat, you are my brother from another mother. Totally agree.

 

[imustbepsychic]

I know this is a little wide of the mark but Deep Rock Galactic goes a long way towards scratching the itch for myself and my friends while waiting for Graven (or similar).

 

[JCgames]

I guess where i'm getting hung up is the whole FIRST person, verse controlling 1 character in third person. I really dislike first person games. I can't recall the last one i played. Well mech warrior, but i'm in a mech, so at least i don't get motion sick.

I suppose there could be a game made that gives you the option of going in first, but a game like that would be very big, i don't know why they would go with first only. Personally i think cyberpunk made a huge mistake with that. Game went from a must buy to a hard pass which is sad because i think i would of liked it, but FPS makes me motion sick.

I don't know why this hasn't been done yet. Even a top-down MOBA-like gameplay would work very well (think Battlerite meets Warcraft 3 Impossible Bosses map) for a dungeon crawler co-op, but for now we just don't have any options. My friends and I play Barony every once in a while, but I'm not really a fan of how it handles combat.

You know i liked the first witcher way more than 2 for this exact reason. You can zoom out and play with just a mouse, using the occasional hotkey to use a spell, or potion, or swap weapon styles. If your quick with the mouse you can even do it with the onscreen icons. I love 3D ISO metric mouse clicker RPG's and the witcher was the best one i ever played. Diablo is ok but it's just hack and slash, same with torchlight.

But yes, i would love a game like that. Lara croft and the temple of Osiris is played like that though, check it out, it's 4 player co-op. You fight monsters and solve puzzles by working together it's a rather cool game, but you really need 4 people to play it.

 

[ROFbeddingfield]

is this was only pre 1998, youd have a bushel basket of options in that game play style. Actually i think it was the ONLY style done

 

[Blackwell]

I guess where i'm getting hung up is the whole FIRST person, verse controlling 1 character in third person. I really dislike first person games. I can't recall the last one i played. Well mech warrior, but i'm in a mech, so at least i don't get motion sick.

I suppose there could be a game made that gives you the option of going in first, but a game like that would be very big, i don't know why they would go with first only. Personally i think cyberpunk made a huge mistake with that. Game went from a must buy to a hard pass which is sad because i think i would of liked it, but FPS makes me motion sick.




You know i liked the first witcher way more than 2 for this exact reason. You can zoom out and play with just a mouse, using the occasional hotkey to use a spell, or potion, or swap weapon styles. If your quick with the mouse you can even do it with the onscreen icons. I love 3D ISO metric mouse clicker RPG's and the witcher was the best one i ever played. Diablo is ok but it's just hack and slash, same with torchlight.

But yes, i would love a game like that. Lara croft and the temple of Osiris is played like that though, check it out, it's 4 player co-op. You fight monsters and solve puzzles by working together it's a rather cool game, but you really need 4 people to play it.

I'm just the opposite, ... I actually prefer 1st person games over 3rd person titles. Each style definitely has its pros and cons and some games cater to the quirks of each one.

Hell I'd be happy with even a 3rd person option at this point. The fact remains there just aren't any games of this genre out there.