Rogue Racing [Alpha Playtest]

[NOTE: DOWNLOAD BELOW FOR BEST EXPERIENCE, wEB VERSION MAY TAKE A WHILE TO LOAD]

ROGUE RACING

Welcome to Rogue Racing, a roguelike racing game that combines Trackmania's precision driving (with some silliness) with Slay the Spire's strategic depth and TFT's drafting mechanics. 

This is an alpha build. Your feedback shapes the final game! Please report bugs, suggest modifiers, and let me know what's fun (or not fun). There's a feedback form, but leaving a comment helps just as much.

THE CONCEPT

Every race is a fight for survival. Eight racers start with limited health. After each race, the bottom four finishers take damage based on their position. Hit zero health, and you're eliminated from the series. The last racer standing wins.
But this isn't just about crossing the finish line first. It's about building the perfect car through smart modifier choices, and knowing when to play safe versus when to risk it all (I might be exaggerating a tad here). 

THE GAME LOOP

RACE → Compete in 3-lap races against  AI opponents
SURVIVE → Top 4 finishers are safe, bottom 4 take health damage
UPGRADE → Get the chance to pick a mod for your car after each race
ADAPT → Build synergies between modifiers to create unstoppable combinations

Each complete series currently takes 25-40 minutes, depending on how quickly racers are eliminated.

CORE MECHANICS

Drift-to-Boost System: Drifting is how you charge your boost meter. 
Drafting/Slipstream: Follow closely behind opponents to reduce air resistance and gain speed.  (only works half the time, I'll fix it...eventually)
Health & Elimination: Every race matters. One bad finish won't kill you, but consistent poor performance will. 
Modifier Synergies:  Unique modifiers create endless combinations (not so endless at the moment, but I'll get there)
Fan Challenges: Complete optional objectives during races to get rarer modifiers

CONTROLS

KEYBOARD:

• W / ↑ Arrow - Accelerate
• S / ↓ Arrow - Brake / Reverse
• A / ← Arrow, D / → Arrow - Steer
• Space - Handbrake (initiate drifts)
• Left Shift - Activate Boost
• ESC - Pause Menu

GAMEPAD (RECOMMENDED):

• Right Trigger (RT) - Accelerate
• Left Trigger (LT) - Brake / Reverse
• Left Stick - Steer
• A Button (Xbox) / X (PlayStation) - Activate Boost
• B Button (Xbox) / O (PlayStation) - Handbrake

COMING SOON (at least as soon as I'm able to)

The alpha is just the beginning. Planned features include:

• 80+ additional modifiers (no joke)
• 24+ tracks across 8 track styles
• Surface variety (ice, sand, metal) with unique physics
• More track hazards
• Voiceover / Commentary system
• Story and meta progression
• Multiple car types
• Advanced AI personalities
• Music/SFX
  
• Local/Online multiplayer
• Additional gamemodes
• Whatever my big brain playtesters suggest

ABOUT THE DEVELOPER

Rogue Racing is being developed solo, by a 21-year-old Computer Science student. The game is a passion project to merge my love of arcade racers like Trackmania with the strategic depth of roguelikes like Slay the Spire (and hopefully fill my pockets with loads of money).