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The Lamplighters League: Everything We Know
Harebrained Schemes, the creators behind BattleTech and Shadowrun, have announced a brand new Indiana Jones-style turn-based adventure — The Lamplighters League. Naturally, Paradox Interactive assisted in its announcement by bringing a full-fat trailer to streamers at the recently released annual showcase. And boy, what a reveal it painted.
Fortunately for those interested in the game, Harebrained Schemes hasn't been all that quiet about its details. In fact, we've been gifted just about every speck of information to help whet the whistle for the forthcoming launch. And so, if you're even the slightest bit interested in delving into the treasure-filled tombs as the self-proclaimed ragtag crew, then read on. Here's everything you need to know about it.
What Is The Lamplighters League?
The Lamplighters League is an upcoming turn-based action-adventure game by Harebrained Schemes. In the latest venture, players take on the role of a band of misfits—wannabe rogues who are put up against the Banished Court, an evil faction who are on the brink of taking over the world. As the team of unlikely heroes, you will pursue your enemies to the edge of the world, using a combination of wit and skill to whittle down its figureheads and dismantle their plans to conquer the 1930s.
“Sneak, steal, and shoot your way through a world of pulp adventure in The Lamplighters League!,” the blurb reads in part. “Globetrot across a variety of exciting locales around the world and outwit your enemies in strategic turn-based combat – and, if you play your cards right, you might just save the world.”
Story
As you could probably guess, The Lamplighters League follows the titular ragtag team of rogues. Set in the 1930s, a time during which the world stands on the precipice of collapse due to a tyrannical cult known as the Banished Court, players will delve into a last-stand feud between the two factions. However, with the real heroes all dead and buried, the world will have to look to you—the morally conflicted and somewhat dimwitted—to save the day and restore order.
“Unfortunately, the best of the best are all gone, so now it's up to the best of the worst,” the description reads. “Recruit a team of misfits and scoundrels with unique abilities and unforgettable personalities, and chase the Banished Court to the ends of the earth in a mix of real-time infiltration, turn-based tactical combat, and a character-driven story of adventure and intrigue.”
Gameplay
In a similar fashion to Harebrained Schemes' previous works, The Lamplighters League will prioritize turn-based gameplay, with which you will recruit, control, and develop your own team. In this peculiar pack of mercenaries, “every misfit brings their own style to the fight through unique moves that can turn the tide of combat.” It will be your role, as the general overseer, to take your team out on missions and evolve their abilities and unravel their respective story arcs.
According to its blurb, the missions you embark on will take you to a wide variety of dynamic locales, “from dockyards and deserts to jungles both urban and wild.” Naturally, to overcome these biomes and their objectives, you will need to both survey the areas, devise a plan of action, and gradually whittle down your enemies.
Development
Harebrained Schemes officially lifted the veil on The Lamplighters League during Paradox Interactive's early March 2023 showcase, an event that also touched base on a number of other upcoming games — Cities: Skylines 2, for example. It was revealed at the time that the game would be heading to Xbox platforms and PC “later this year,” and with a one-way ticket to Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate, too.
At the time of its reveal, Harebrained Schemes mentioned that the ultimate goal was to build a game that blends “a mix of real-time infiltration, turn-based tactical combat, and character-driven story.” As for when this will all come to light is still anybody's guess, though a Q3 2023 window seems to be the most likely. Don't take our word on that, though.
Trailer
Paradox Interactive released a preview trailer as part of its recent online showcase, painting the general aesthetic of the tactical turn-based strategy game in a pulpy Indiana Jones-style coating. It came loaded with a gameplay trailer, too, which shed a fair amount of light on the mechanics and the flow of the combat. Caught your interest? You can check it out for yourself in the embed above.
Release Date, Platforms & Editions
The Lamplighters League will be coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store later this year. Will it be coming to PlayStation at any point in the foreseeable future? It's hard to say at this point, though Paradox Interactive clearly seem to be invested in the idea of keeping it exclusive to Xbox and PC.
Fortunately for Xbox users, The Lamplighters League will in fact be coming to Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate as a day-one exclusive. You can subscribe to the platform for as little as $1 for the first month, and then for a recurring fee of $9.99 per month.
As it currently stands, there isn't any deluxe or special editions to compliment the standard copy. This is subject to change, however, as Paradox Interactive could very well reveal additional versions in the months leading up to its launch.
For more information on Paradox Interactive's upcoming game, you can follow the official social handle here. If anything interesting pops up between now and its eventual launch, we'll be sure to let you know all of the details right here on gaming.net.
So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of The Lamplighters League when it drops? Let us know over your thoughts over on our socials here or down in the comments below.
