Manticore Games, the studio behind the Core UGC platform, is stepping into new territory with Out of Time, a third-person action roguelike that throws players into Infinitopia, the last bastion of civilization. The world is collapsing under The Shattering, a cataclysm that merges timelines and sends everything from dragons to robots rampaging across reality. After speaking with the developers, we came away with a clearer picture of what this unique mix of chaos and strategy has to offer.
While the co-op roguelike game isn’t aiming for a narrative-focused experience like Hades or Returnal, there is some lore and context behind all the action. Each era you visit, whether medieval, futuristic, or post-apocalyptic, comes with its own backstory and contributes to a sense of progress across runs.
The developers are blending handcrafted design with procedural generation to keep runs fresh. Points of interest offer consistent zones and encounters, while other elements like the map layout and enemy spawns are dynamically generated, keeping players on their toes while still delivering a curated sense of place.
One of the most interesting aspects of Out of Time is how each era changes the way you play. The team confirmed that eras aren’t just visual themes, and that they feature unique mechanics, environmental hazards, and enemy types. A medieval setting may feature dragons and collapsing structures to dodge, while a futuristic zone may throw robotic sentries into the mix.
The game boasts millions of gear permutations, and instead of attempting to strictly balance every possible combination, Manticore embraces the chaos. The team wants players to experiment with builds and discover what works best for them. Rather than forcing a “correct” way to play, Out of Time aims to encourage creative and emergent strategies.
One of Out of Time’s prominent mechanics is the Tether system, which incentivizes co-op coordination. The tether’s radius is always visible on the mini-map, and staying close together provides benefits for the whole team. Players can even modify the tether itself, for example, by electrifying it so that enemies crossing its path get clotheslined.
Through testing, Manticore landed on a four-player cap per run as the sweet spot. Larger groups tipped the action into complete chaos. While the game can be played solo or with a lesser group of players, four players seemed to strike the intended balance between strategy and mayhem.
Leveraging its Core UGC platform experience, Manticore is also building in support for user-generated content. The game will allow players to customize and create things like their own maps, with the aim of extending replayability beyond the base game’s content.
Bosses, meanwhile, are designed to reflect the identity of their respective eras. While the game doesn’t feature mixed-era bosses or no dragons firing laser beams just yet, it’s an idea that the development team would like to explore in the future.
Failure is part of the roguelike loop, but Out of Time softens the blow with partial meta progression. You won’t lose your permanent upgrades after a failed run, though all gear and temporary buffs collected during a run are lost.
Manticore is also steering clear of microtransactions. Cosmetics, mounts, and avatars will all be earned through gameplay. Paid DLC expansions could happen in the future, but the focus right now is on launching a full, premium experience. New eras are also in development and planned as post-launch updates, promising fresh zones, enemies, and mechanics to keep players engaged.
The developers also confirmed that Out of Time will receive console ports in the future, and assured support for platform-specific features like adaptive triggers, haptics, and gyro aim on the PS5’s DualSense controller.
With its blend of handcrafted and procedural design, era-specific gameplay twists, the cooperative tether system, and millions of possible builds, Out of Time is shaping up to be a unique roguelike experience that focuses on replayability and player creativity. If Manticore can deliver on its ambitious vision, Infinitopia could become one of the most exciting playgrounds for co-op action fans.
