Cobalt Core
A time-loop deckbuilder with anthropomorphic animal crews.
Cobalt Core is a sci-fi roguelike deck-building game developed by Rocket Rat Games and published by Brace Yourself Games. It was released in November 2023 for Nintendo Switch and Windows, with a macOS version following in July 2025. The game follows anthropomorphic animals trapped in a time loop, fighting enemy spacecraft to discover the loop's origin and escape.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Rocket Rat Games
- Publisher
- Brace Yourself Games
- Engine
- FNA; MonoGame
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch
- Windows
- macOS
- Released
- Nintendo Switch, Windows, November 8, 2023, macOS, July 28, 2025
- Genre
- Roguelike deck-building
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The player controls a spacecraft crewed by three of eight possible characters, starting with only three characters and one ship. Each character contributes cards based on their expertise to the starting deck, and additional cards are earned by defeating enemy ships. During a run, cards can be upgraded or removed. Defeating boss ships may grant artifacts that affect the whole ship or boost a character's cards. In combat, the player begins each round with five cards from a shuffled deck and three action points. Cards provide attacks, shields, or the ability to shift the ship left or right to dodge incoming fire. The enemy's upcoming actions are shown, allowing planning. After spending all action points and shift actions, the turn resolves, the hand is discarded, and a new hand of five cards is drawn. Combat continues until the enemy is destroyed or the player's ship is destroyed, which forces a restart with options to choose different characters and modifiers.
Plot
The game opens with three characters—Dizzy, Peri, and Riggs—waking up in their ship, the Artemis, at the start of a time loop. The ship's AI, CAT, remembers each loop and rouses them. They battle through areas against space pirates and automated drones, eventually reaching the Cobalt, an ancient warship inside a spatial distortion. CAT leaves the ship each loop to hijack the Cobalt, forcing it to attack the crew before being deleted. When the crew destroys the Cobalt, they regain a lost memory from a higher-dimensional being. Other characters join: Isaac, Drake, Max, and Books. They also encounter a copy of Riggs who claims to be the original. As memories return, the crew learns that Dizzy, Peri, Isaac, and Max researched the Cobalt and its time crystal. Riggs, a cargo pilot, befriended the crew but was convinced by Drake to steal the crystal. Max created CAT as the Cobalt's AI interface. During an experiment, Riggs attempted the theft, causing a malfunction. She broke off a shard of the crystal, trapping everyone. Being closest to the crystal, Riggs was split into two entities.
Development
Cobalt Core is the second game from Rocket Rat Games, co-founded by John Guerra and Ben Driscoll. After finishing their first game, Sunshine Heavy Industries, around October 2021, they sought a new project. Guerra played Inscryption, and combined with player interest in piloting ships from their previous game, they conceived a spacecraft-based roguelike deckbuilder. Both had played Slay the Spire but wanted fresh ideas. They drew inspiration from Star Trek's crew dynamics and dialog during encounters, a concept seen in Reigns. Guerra and Driscoll, living on opposite U.S. coasts, prototyped in Tabletop Simulator, with Driscoll simulating computer opponents. Guerra refined the cards while Driscoll created characters and art. Time travel was introduced so characters like CAT had meta-awareness of the loop, similar to Inscryption's living cards. A demo appeared during the October 2023 Steam Next Fest, and the game launched on Nintendo Switch and Windows on November 8, 2023.
Reception
Cobalt Core received positive reviews, earning a 94 aggregate score on Metacritic. Critics praised the compact gameplay loop and characters, though some noted the game's length to unlock everything was short compared to other roguelike deckbuilders, and boss battles lacked randomness. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated it for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.
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