ITER-8 is a compact roguelite built around a simple but satisfying loop. Players pilot a mining pod that drills upward through blocks, gathering resources and upgrades before returning to defend the base against incoming enemies.
The structure feels somewhat like a reversed Dome Keeper. Instead of digging downward and returning to the surface, ITER-8 sends players upward through the rock and ice, balancing your mining with some side exploration on platforms where you get out and walk around figure out puzzles. All with the need to return in time for defensive combat.
Runs are quick, upgrades come steadily, and the moment-to-moment mining and combat feel polished. The premise leans into its corporate sci-fi overlord setting as well — when a run ends poorly, the company simply deploys another iteration of the worker to try again.
Despite being an enjoyable little roguelite, ITER-8 comes during a very busy March. There are only so many hours available, and several larger games currently demand attention.
The official record therefore lists ITER-8 as Dead for stream purposes.
Privately, however, additional iterations may still be deployed. In fact I did a nice run before this notice was filed.
Pronouncement: Pronounced dead.