SWORN Review – Co-op Roguelike: Hades Vibes, Camelot Twist
I played SWORN solo and in co-op: a stylish Arthurian roguelike with deep buildcraft and surprisingly fun multiplayer—when it works. Gorgeous Mignola-esque art and dozens of synergies, but persistent disconnects and some rough balance hold it back.
SWORN hooks you with Arthurian lore and a combat loop that feels strangely familiar if you’ve played Hades—except this one was built to be played with friends. The promise of 1–4 player co-op and 200+ blessings is tempting, but technical hiccups are the frequent party pooper.
At its core SWORN is a deliberate, room-by-room action roguelike where timing, dodges and ability synergies matter. You pick one of a few distinct Soulforged knights, grab weapons and spells, then swear to Fae Lords—Titania, Oberon and the like—for boons that reshape your build. There are over 200 blessings, an anvil/upgrade system, and a persistent meta-progression from the Beacon of Avalore so you feel steady growth across runs. Combat is weighty and satisfying: dashes, i-frames and well-timed counters make skill rewardful, and a few boss fights genuinely test your pattern memory. Where SWORN stands out is local/online co-op (1–4 players) — team synergies and shared mechanics produce chaotic, memorable runs. Visually it leans into a Mike Mignola-inspired style: heavy shadows, bold silhouettes and a comic-world vibe that I loved. Downsides in design include occasional boss sponge feel at higher difficulties and a thinner narrative compared to stronger story-driven roguelikes, but the build variety and replayability keep me coming back.
SWORN is a promising, stylish co-op roguelike with deep buildcraft and real highs when multiplayer behaves — but connection woes and a thin narrative stop it from being great right now. Grab it on sale if you want to experiment solo or with patient friends; otherwise wait for fixes.
Pros
- Genuinely fun co-op loop—team synergies are a blast.
- Huge blessing pool and build variety keeps runs fresh.
- Striking Mignola‑inspired art and solid combat feel.
Cons
- Multiplayer connectivity is unreliable—frequent disconnects/crashes and no rejoin.
- Feels very Hades‑inspired and the story/character moments are thinner.
Player Opinion
Players praise the combat, replayability and co-op moments—lots of people say it scratches the itch of a multiplayer Hades. Common complaints center on unstable multiplayer (disconnects, desyncs, crashes) and occasional balance or boss sponge issues. If you like experimenting with weapon/boon combos and don’t mind soloing or risking flaky sessions, this is highly enjoyable; if you want reliable online coop right now, wait for patches.