The Hades 2 rival I poured even more hours into this year just got three new bosses, and it's half price if you're quick

As good as Hades 2 is, I'd hate for fellow action roguelike Sworn to leave a legacy of being buried under the weight of Melinoë's adventure. After months being honed in early access, Windwalk Games had its 1.0 release date all planned out, only to find itself suddenly going up directly against the launch of the successor to one of the best roguelikes in years, and the game that had most closely inspired it. But Sworn is certainly worth your time if you like that style of room-clearing combat, and its new update combined with a deep discount on Steam makes now a good opportunity to give it a second chance.

Where Supergiant's Hades 2 leans into expanding the narrative with the developer's immaculate, signature presentation and style, Sworn focuses more on pure replayability through sheer build variety and the option for up to four-player co-op. I've actually spent more time with it than Hades 2 this year (even if you include early access counts for both), and I've still not explored everything it has to offer. With four distinct playable characters, each with four upgradable, customizable weapons and four possible spells, the number of combinations at your disposal is vast even before you set out.

That's not to say Sworn is a slouch in the visuals department; I really love its bold take on the Arthurian legend, and those design sensibilities carry over into the gameplay side as well. Enemies are weird and wonderful, the spell effects are vibrant, and the environments pose plenty of thematic challenges, from the stodgy bogs of Cornwall Township to the Deep Harbor's penchant for zones divided up into platforms that force you to use your movement skills sparingly.

Sworn update 1.1 sees the corrupted King Arthur calling in fresh reinforcements, in the form of three new, alternate bosses that can appear across the game's first trio of zones. These have a chance to replace the existing end-of-act encounters, which can feel over-familiar once you're dozens of runs deep and know exactly how to avoid their most dangerous moves.

Lady Kay, "the Wall of Camelot," will prove a stalwart obstacle thanks to her signature greatshield, forcing you to find a way around (or through) her defenses. Sir Dagonet, "Grasp of the Mire," uses a hook to immobilize his victims and drag them through the traps and poison pools dotted around his swamp. You'll need to deal with his tools quickly to stop him from gaining the upper hand.

Lastly, Lady Agravain, "Scourge of Ships," can be found in Deep Harbor, where her descent into madness transpires to be a root cause of the regional rise in shipwrecks. Watch her movements closely, because she's capable of zooming around her nest in a whirlwind of feathers and steel, tearing up any who are unfortunate or foolish enough to stand in the way.

Windwalk has made several other balance tweaks too, boosting the strength of some foes that felt a little underwhelming and nerfing one overly problematic boss attack in the final battle. Some broken interactions have been corrected (resulting in a mixture of nerfs and buffs), and the internal cap on attack speed has been raised, meaning you're able to reach a maximum multiplier of 2x with enough bonuses, compared to the old 1.5x limit.

Sworn update 1.1 is live now, and the game is 50% off on Steam through Thursday December 18, meaning you'll pay just $12.49 / £12.49. Grab it here if you're ready to take on a new realm, and perhaps fancy bringing some friends along for the ride.