On May 29, 2026, 33 Immortals, a 33-player co-op action roguelike developed by Thunder Lotus Games, officially launched in Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Thunder Lotus is known for indie titles defined by their hand-drawn art style, with celebrated works such as Spiritfarer and Solar Ash. 33 Immortals represents an entirely different undertaking: it marks the studio’s first venture into the online multiplayer space, with the goal of merging roguelike randomness with a large-scale multiplayer framework to create something that sits between Hades and an MMO. The game is priced at $19.99, and the Early Access phase is expected to last between 12 and 18 months.
The core framework of the game is a roguelike run in which 33 players collectively storm the infernal realms. Each session begins in a central hub called the Dark Haven, where 33 souls are randomly matched together before collectively choosing to venture into one of three different domains: the Gates of the Underworld, the Abyss of Greed, or the Void Rift. Every domain consists of a series of procedurally generated combat chambers, and players are free to disperse and explore independently or band together. Each domain culminates in a domain boss. Players who defeat the domain boss earn the right to enter the final map — the Throne of the Fallen God — where all surviving players regroup to confront the ultimate boss together.
On paper, the 33-player scale presents a steep conceptual barrier, but Thunder Lotus has implemented several key design simplifications to reduce complexity. First, there is no direct voice or text chat system between players. Instead, a preset signal system called Soul Resonance provides four commands: Rally, Disperse, Request Help, and Mark Threat. Second, combat chambers feature dynamic difficulty scaling — the number of enemies in a chamber adjusts according to the number of players who enter it, so whether you are exploring solo or following a small party, the encounter difficulty remains relatively reasonable. Third, loot distribution is instanced per player, entirely eliminating the resource contention issues that are the most common frustration in multiplayer roguelikes.
The Early Access version currently includes two playable classes: the sword-wielding Soul Warrior and the bow-wielding Soul Hunter. The Warrior leans toward a melee tank role, with skills including Shield Block and an area-of-effect Taunt. The Hunter leans toward ranged damage, with skills including Multi-Shot and Traps. Classes are chosen at the beginning of each run and cannot be changed mid-session. Soul Shards accumulated during combat can be spent in safe zones between domains to purchase temporary upgrades, but all unspent shards drop upon death and must be retrieved by returning to the death location. If you die during a run, you can choose to continue spectating in soul form, providing some auxiliary buffs to your remaining party members.
Initial player feedback following the launch has centered on two conflicting points. On the positive side, the concept of 33-player cooperation has proven smoother in execution than many anticipated. Server stability held up during the opening weekend, with average queue times falling between one and three minutes, and no significant frame drops or latency issues were observed even when dozens of players were on screen during boss encounters. The more frequently cited concern is the current lack of content breadth. The Early Access version currently features only two classes and three domains. Once skilled players have unlocked all abilities and defeated the Fallen God, the repeatable content begins to feel repetitive. Thunder Lotus has already published a roadmap for the Early Access period, planning to add at least three new classes, two new domains, a guild system, and a complete final ending over the next twelve months. For players hoping for a game that genuinely fuses social multiplayer with roguelike randomness, the Early Access version of 33 Immortals delivers ample promise — but there remains a considerable journey ahead before all those promises are fulfilled.
