A solo developer (qqop_) introduced Flemenco to r/roguelikedev — a spy-heist roguelike where twelve unique thieves, each with distinct skills and abilities, work to dismantle the ubiquitous Flemenco Corporation. The core loop centers on a safehouse planning phase, contract selection, and mission execution with consequences that ripple forward.
The design highlights so far:
- 12 distinct characters — not stat-variant classes but genuinely different spy-thieves with their own mechanical identities
- Planning matters — acquiring blueprints, selecting equipment, and even signing up for a gym membership affect contract outcomes
- Sensible UI layout — map top-left, stats top-right, message log at the bottom (clean and effective)
- Non-gridlocked ASCII — characters move freely rather than snapping to a tile grid, giving the visuals more life
The most interesting part is the planned procedural contract system. Rather than pulling from a random pool, objectives chain through cause and effect: an executive eats an access code because you disabled his backdoor, turning the objective from data retrieval into kidnapping. That kind of systemic reactivity is what makes roguelikes sing — and it’s ambitious for a v0.1.5.
The game is on itch.io in very early development, but the foundation is already built around the right kind of emergent complexity. Worth watching.