At Gamescom 2025, one of the most striking surprises wasn’t the big names like Ninja Gaiden 4 or Phantom Blade Zero, but a smaller, peculiar gem called FLASK. Developed by Chop Chop Games and set to be published by Ghost Ship Games, this roguelike auto battler stood out not just because of its striking hand-drawn comic-book aesthetic, but because it dared to do something both deeply weird and deeply compelling. The premise is deceptively simple yet refreshingly different: you’re an alchemist drowning in debt, traversing a grim medieval world while cobbling together armies of homunculi using magical flasks. It’s part survival story, part strategy, and part chaos – exactly the kind of oddball mix the roguelike scene thrives on.
The gameplay unfolds across a branching map filled with randomly generated nodes. 
Each stop may hide a shop for purchasing flasks, free flask events, story-driven NPC encounters, or the inevitable battles against goblins and other monstrosities. Runs begin modestly, with just one homunculus companion at your side. Yet, as the adventure grows more intense, you can recruit up to three, mixing and matching them into configurations tailored to your survival strategy. Even better, you can save different party setups, making it easier to adapt when the game decides to throw an unexpected curveball. That sense of flexibility and improvisation sits at the heart of what makes FLASK tick, and it’s why my short session had me constantly thinking of the next possible setup.
Where FLASK truly embraces its hardcore identity is in combat. The battles are fully automated; once you’ve equipped your homunculi, you sit back and watch as they slug it out. At first glance, this might sound passive, but the genius lies in the flasks themselves. Each type of homunculus has access to unique flask powers that activate in a fixed order during a fight. Some are straightforward stat boosts, while others unleash chain effects, healing waves, or bizarre debuffs. The real thrill is in finding synergies – stacking effects across your team so that one homunculus’ flask ability triggers another’s in just the right sequence. It’s a system that feels deceptively simple until you realize you’re essentially solving a living puzzle mid-battle. That kind of strategic depth, layered with randomization, is catnip for roguelike fans.
Of course, the build I played wasn’t shy about difficulty. Losing is frequent, and victory rarely feels guaranteed. But that’s part of the appeal. Each defeat feeds the urge to refine your party composition and flask loadouts for the next attempt. And if the single-player challenge weren’t enough, there’s asynchronous PvP: you can pit your custom party setups against those of other players. It’s not direct real-time dueling, but more of a leaderboard clash where clever flask chains might carry you to glory – or expose weaknesses you never saw coming. This competitive twist could add significant longevity, giving players reasons to keep tinkering with builds long after completing the main campaign.
What also impressed me was the personality packed into its world. The medieval backdrops are grim yet playfully exaggerated, and the character designs ooze a sketchbook charm reminiscent of classic comics. Even mundane moments – like stumbling into a random merchant – feel alive thanks to the hand-drawn detail. Combined with the alchemist’s debt-driven quest, the game maintains a tongue-in-cheek tone that keeps things from sinking into self-seriousness. It’s dark, yes, but there’s always a sly wink hiding underneath.
Walking away from my demo, I couldn’t help but imagine the long hours I’d lose experimenting with flask combinations, pushing deeper into maps, and seeing how far the mechanics could be stretched. There’s a clear vision here, one that embraces difficulty but rewards curiosity. If Chop Chop Games can polish the systems and balance the harder edges before release, FLASK could easily become one of the more memorable roguelikes in recent years. Its official launch on Steam is expected sometime in 2026, and based on what I’ve seen, this quirky alchemical battler might be the game that roguelike enthusiasts didn’t know they were waiting for.