Planned Release Date: Q2 2027

About This Game

Hirelings is a turn-based tactics roguelike fused with an auto-battler shop. Hire, reroll, and merge mages, vampires, and others to form an overpowered party of mercenaries... then outsmart every enemy on the grid.

Auto-battler shop + Turn-based tactics

Between every fight you're in the shop. You manage, hire, and reroll characters, and when you have 3 duplicates of a character of the same level, you get a level-up. A levelled up character unlocks new abilities and is stronger overall.

When the fight starts, it doesn't play automatically. You activate every ability, move, and attack, when it's your turn.

Experiment with builds

Every character has 2 classes. For example Rogue Skirmisher is a Rogue, getting extra evasion, and a Skirmisher, getting extra movement, initiative, and a leap ability.

The more of the same class you have in your party, the stronger it becomes. Trying out different combinations of characters and classes makes for a different experience every run.

Position matters

If you move out of the reach of an enemy melee character, they get an attack of opportunity at you. If you position your melee fighters next to enemy casters and ranged units, you get an attack of opportunity anytime they try to cast a ranged ability. In other words, pay attention to how you position your characters in battle.

Abilities are like puzzles

Area-of-effect attacks are something both you and your enemy are capable of. Circumstances in the game will force you to think about how to tactically use these abilities to deal the most damage to the enemy.

One run, 18 rounds

The structure of the game consists of 18 battles. Every 3rd battle you fight a stronger enemy, a boss.

Losing a battle does not mean you lose the game, you start with 2 retries and can replenish them in the shop for gold.

There are 3 thematic chapters in the game: the forest, the bandit ruins, and the undead dungeon.

Rewards

When you beat a boss fight you get to pick an item. Items have unique passive effects, which can change the way you play the game and the direction of your build.

Features

• Turn-based tactics

• An auto-battler-style shop between fights: hire, reroll, merge, upgrade

• 18 rounds across 3 chapters, with a boss every third round

• 26 items that change how you play the game

• 34 characters, each combining two of 17 classes