Bad Robot Games reveals gameplay of cooperative roguelike 4:Loop about saving glassified humanity

At the State of Play presentation, Game Director Mike Booth unveiled a detailed gameplay overview of 4:Loop – a cooperative roguelike shooter from Bad Robot Games for four players, where you need to stop an alien invasion after 99.99% of humanity turned into glass.

A massive mothership suddenly appeared above Earth and struck the planet with a powerful energy beam, freezing people in time. Players control those who escaped this fate and must find a way to stop the invasion. Developers promise numerous mysteries, including the reason why the main characters survived.

At the core of 4:Loop lies the Probability Map, combining alien technology and human ingenuity to predict the near future and plan the optimal path to victory. Each node on the map represents a separate mission type with its own risks, rewards, and surprises. Players vote on the starting node, considering that nodes are connected in specific routes. As you progress, stakes rise, and experienced teams will learn to use the map to create epic runs.

During missions, the team needs to hack alien technology, collect critical resources, or rescue survivors who provide powerful upgrades, while dodging enemy drop pods with squads of killbots. If at least one team member reaches the evacuation zone, the run continues. Fallen players are "reprinted from backup" at the base but receive a broken bone that only a medic can heal at a rest stop. If the entire team dies, the run ends.

Each section of the Probability Map concludes with a boss battle. Currently, there are three completely different bosses requiring careful equipment selection. Each boss tests team coordination in its own way.

After a successful mission or boss victory, the team returns to base to adjust strategy and choose rewards from a growing arsenal of powerful gear. Runs also feature a shop where you can spend accumulated loot on valuable items or change your playstyle.

4:Loop offers numerous types of weapons, items, and abilities to combine for improving combat, reconnaissance, movement, stealth, hacking, and healing. Choosing between a jetpack and a submachine gun depends on the team's strategy for the current run.

The game is designed for endless replayability. While level designers and artists create environments, the starting location, mission objectives, enemies, and loot are generated uniquely for each run. Time of day and weather are also randomized, significantly changing mission development. Enemies, creatures, plants, weapons, items, and mission objectives interact dynamically, creating emergent gameplay.

Mike Booth, who previously worked on the original Left 4 Dead, noted that the team plans to update the game based on player feedback after purchase. Bad Robot Games is recruiting participants for beta testing.

More details in the PlayStation blog. You can apply for the playtest on the official website.