ABUTTON (CEO Kim Dae-hwon) launched the 3rd global playtest for its co-op roguelite FPS in development, Guns & Dragons, on November 9 across Steam and the Epic Games Store.
This test runs until November 23 at 5:00 p.m. Players can experience the new Chapter 2, 'The Cursed Forest,' along with a revamped weapon and skill progression system, as well as improved combat and exploration content.
Guns & Dragons is a roguelite FPS set in a magitech fantasy world. Players can choose from over 45 types of weapons, including firearms and bows, and craft their own unique builds by combining runes, artifacts, and skills acquired during combat. The core fun comes from starting with ordinary weapons and evolving them into powerful, unique gear through repeated battles, supporting solo play as well as online co-op for up to four players.
In this 3rd playtest, following the existing ancient city ruins, the new Chapter 2 'The Cursed Forest' is revealed. 'The Cursed Forest' is an area covered with giant mushrooms and peculiar plants, featuring new monsters and terrain interactions. In particular, enemies that spread spores or summon other monsters have been added to deliver a distinct combat experience.
Players can destroy parasitic spores before they mature to prevent additional monsters from spawning. As exploration speed and environmental judgment impact combat difficulty, players are required to play strategically according to the situation rather than simply defeating enemies. Exploration elements utilizing the environment have also been enhanced. Terrain-based movement is available, such as using mushrooms to leap to higher ground or attacking specific fruits to spawn new platforms. This adds to the fun of searching for hidden paths and rewards.
The progression system, a core element of the roguelite genre, has also been improved. Character skills have been revamped so that gaining relevant upgrades levels them up, allowing players to link abilities related to attack, movement, and survival to create diverse builds. For example, players can change their combat style by combining different upgrades—such as boosting attacks after a dodge move or generating armor restoration items upon killing enemies with explosive attacks.
Weapon characteristics have also become more distinct. The progression structure for shotguns has been improved, and effects related to charged attacks, reloading, and weak-point attacks for bows have been adjusted to deliver a differentiated combat experience for each weapon type. Additionally, user-convenience enhancements have been made, including expanding quests and hands-on tutorials, introducing a minimap, improving movement speed, and enhancing visual and audio combat effects.
Online co-op for up to four players, supported since the 2nd playtest, has also been continuously improved. Boss difficulty has been adjusted for the co-op environment, and combo plays utilizing character abilities are possible—such as teammates using flowers summoned by the elf character 'Eryn' as stepping stones to leap into the air.
A new gameplay video was also released alongside the launch of the 3rd playtest. The video highlights how ordinary weapons evolve into powerful gear through various upgrades, as well as combat footage of taking on monster hordes using upgraded weaponry. In particular, players can catch a glimpse of the core fun of Guns & Dragons through evolving combat that grows stronger by combining various weapons and skills, as well as co-op battles with up to four players.
ABUTTON has continuously improved combat, progression systems, and play convenience based on user feedback collected from the previous two playtests. The studio plans to gather player feedback and gameplay data during this test as well to incorporate into future development.
Director Park Jun-woo said, "We hope this will be an opportunity for new players to experience the fun of the game firsthand," adding, "In this 3rd playtest, we want to showcase the new adventure unfolding in Chapter 2 and the experience of becoming progressively stronger through chosen combinations of weapons and abilities."
