Stylised XCOM-like tactics game Ex Sanguis straps Othercide’s obsession with timelines to a leaner roguelike campaign
“Ex Sanguis,” the latest tactics game from developer Lightbulb, is now available in early access. Building on concepts from the studio’s previous title “Othercide,” the game emphasizes mastery of time and initiative through grid-based tactical combat, rather than conventional spatial domination through sheer force.
The game features a distinct art style with blood-formed clone warrior characters and draws comparison to XCOM-style gameplay. However, rather than pursuing Othercide’s complex timeline mechanics wholesale, Ex Sanguis distills these concepts into a leaner roguelike campaign structure, streamlining the experience for more focused runs.
The emphasis throughout appears to be on strategic decision-making centered around timing and turn order—what the developer frames as the true core of strategy gaming. Players control grid-based combat encounters where managing initiative and temporal advantage becomes the primary strategic consideration.
The game’s artistic presentation and roguelike framework position it as an evolution of Lightbulb’s tactical design philosophy, offering players a more condensed alternative to the developer’s earlier work while maintaining the signature focus on temporal strategy elements.