Vaewolf Hands Off Preview

We recently had a chance to get an early, hands off look at a newly revealed upcoming roguelike from Milky Tea, Vaewolf. Through the brief look we saw general combat, upgrades, and got a sense of the way this game differs from others in the genre. With three unique, interchangeable characters and plenty of options for upgrades, we’re certainly keen to see more before its release in 2027. 

The key hook for us is in those three characters. Well, it’s one character that can transform technically, but each form offers enough to be distinct from the others. Our character was the sole survivor of an attack on their village. In the process, they become afflicted, and turn into the titular Vaewolf, a powerful being that can transform at will between forms. 

This then features in the gameplay, with our character being able to become a human archer, magic-wielding vampire, and the beastly Vaewolf. Each of these looks to offer different playstyles, with the archer naturally suiting long range attacks, while the vampire specialises in AOE damage before the Vaewolf jumps in with tank-like up close attacks. Combat looks fast paced and fluid, with us able to zip around the screen in a similar way to Melinoë from the excellent Hades II. Enemies come in all shapes and sizes – including a few Vaewolf types of their own – and switching between forms will be key to survival, although Milky Tea are trying to avoid the ‘this enemy type requires this form’ that’d be an easy thing to fall into, instead prioritising players ability to build loadouts that suit their playstyle. Some foes will certainly be easier with one form or another, but it seems to be dependent on how players want to deal with that themselves.

Combat encounters and runs are procedurally generated across the three locations that Vaewolf offers, so we shouldn’t find things too repetitive as we replay after each death. Our demo was a shortened affair to show off more of the systems and combat, but we were told final balancing is still in effect with regards to how long runs will likely take. 

After each room we get to choose a route to proceed down, each offering their own rewards. We got to see various in-run perks such as bloodstones that buffed damage or health, or we could go for something like Mead which is a currency used back at the home base to nab permanent upgrades. 

Upgrades can take the form of form-specific and across the board, and naturally the more runs we do, the better gear and powers we’ll be able to take out with us. Some can also be stacked up to five times, increasing their buff accordingly. 

The core of the gameplay loop of Vaewolf looks promising, with snappy movement and plenty of room for experimentation in the three forms, upgrades and powers. We’ve yet to play a roguelike in this style that has matched the excellent Hades titles, but there’s potential for this to make a great stride into that conversation if Milky Tea can deliver on the promise shown to us in this preview.

This game was a hands off preview via Discord. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by the publisher.