New roguelite dungeon crawler Lootbane is tempting me with risk and reward, and you can join its first playtest now

Some of the best roguelikes in recent years, from Hades to Megabonk, have increasingly leant into offering you ways to gradually hone your builds and either mitigate or circumnavigate the random elements. In cases such as Slay the Spire, I can understand the appeal. But part of me craves the 'take it or leave it' approach seen in classics like The Binding of Isaac. A playtest for new indie dungeon crawler Lootbane has just kicked off, and it's exactly the sort of fast-paced risk/reward decision making I've been craving.

Lootbane developer Milo Panta pitches the roguelite as being all about "risk, reward, and loot-fueled power." The premise is simple but effective: pick an adventurer and begin delving through all manner of shifting regions, with a choice to be made at every turn. Head left and inspect a mysterious statue promising a valuable experience boost; turn right and venture into a dark cave filled with danger, but potential rare rewards; or walk straight ahead to buy powerful gear directly from a merchant. Providing you have the coin saved up, of course.

As you explore, you'll gather all manner of gear. The items you find are all randomized, and must be held through a cleared combat encounter or until you've left a dungeon to discover their actual power. But these tougher zones present an even more devious choice: dive another level deeper, multiplying the gold you earn and the chance to stumble across legendary loot, or back out now before enemies get too strong. Die, and all that hard-earned gear is lost… but what if the next floor is the magic one?

You don't have to adventure alone, however. As you come across various NPCs, you're able to recruit some to join your warband. They'll need gear of their own, but can bring powerful passive and active abilities to the fray that will stack with your own. It's a bigger investment, spreading your spoils more thinly across the group, but the extra manpower could take you further than you'd ever be able to reach alone.

The Lootbane playtest is live now and runs until Thursday December 4. Head to the Steam page and click the 'Join Playtest' button to get started - I was granted access immediately, so you should have no trouble as long as it's still going. Just remember: "Loot is power, and risk is everything."