Roguelikes, dungeon crawlers, blobbers…they’re the hot ticket in RPGs right now – but admittedly – there isn’t much variation being done with the core formula in the games we’ve seen as of late. Developer Stormcloud Games must have something to say about that, with the recent announcement of their hack-n-slash game Brutal. Or Brut@l, if you want to be technical.

Taking the ASCII art that makes up popular old school roguelikes such as Dwarf Fortress and Nethack, Stormcloud Games has crafted a 3D world where everything, including your party members, are all constructed of keyboard symbols.

The premise is, as its roguelike roots suggest, fairly simple. You get to pick from four player classes (Ranger, Amazon, Warrior, Mage…mirroring Gauntlet to a startling degree) and then must travel through a procedurally-generated 26-floor dungeon to the boss at the end, hopefully ending its life before it ends yours. Simple but possibly addicting, if done correctly.

What spices up the formula a bit is the addition of crafting, enchanting, and potion brewing. There’s also, according to the developer’s blog, an in-depth leveling and skill system as well. Local Co-op also seems to be important to the developers, with an emphasis placed on classic arcade shoulder-to-shoulder multiplayer. Last but not least, Stormcloud Games also promises the ability to create their own dungeons and share them with their friends.

More info, as well as regular updates, can be found on the developer’s twitter and facebook pages.