I love when games get weird and grimy, and new dark fantasy looter shooter Vision Quest is hitting all the right notes. Whether it’s the suburban cosmic horror of Look Outside, the MS Paint aesthetics of Nubby’s Number Factory, or the grimdark rustiness of Cloverpit, 2025’s best indie games prove that small teams are doing some of the most interesting work out there. This newcomer from Wizmud Games already has my attention, and it’s just confirmed a publishing deal with Palworld developer Pocketpair that should hopefully bring it to the attention of a much wider audience.
Vision Quench is described as “an online co-op dark fantasy looter shooter set in the underbelly of a consumer goods conglomerate mega dungeon.” That’s quite a mouthful, but I recommend watching the trailer below for the full experience. Wizmud Games looks to be drawing inspiration from some of the best co-op games in recent years, with an effect that feels somewhere between the low-fi vibes of Lethal Company, the chaotic coordination of Peak, and the tight, weaving corridors of Dark and Darker.
With a squad of up to four, you’ll investigate “data mining used for dark rituals” as you fight your way through the labyrinthine Green Tower in an attempt to redeem the legendary Sweepstakes Code at its summit. The fusion of modern-day industry and classical fantasy designs goes beyond the level layouts; you’ll have access to everything from traditional medieval weapons like torches and morningstars all the way to assault rifles.
The now near-universal trend of in-world 3D voice chat is present as well, to really put you and your teammates in the moment. That’s not the only feature it shares with recent indie megahit Peak; you’re also able to lumber one member of your party with a backpack to hold all the loot while everyone else remains more mobile. You’ll need to make sure you keep your carrier safe, though, or all your hard-earned rewards could be lost.
While monsters and traps are the main threats, along with a mysterious force known only as the Entity, you’ll also need to watch out for more subtle dangers like illness and infection, which can spread between your group if you aren’t careful. Fortunately you’re able to toss helpful items such as bandaids and fizzy drinks to your team from a safe distance. Or you could throw them more volatile options such as fireworks, but you might want to do that with caution. If it does go fatally wrong, you can at least keep assisting your surviving companions as a plastic toy called a ‘Freakopop’ that can be thrown about to provide additional vision.
“We’ve got really big news to share with you today,” Wizmud writes in a new post to the game’s Steam page. “Pocketpair Publishing (the Palworld guys) will be helping us with things like marketing and promotions to publish our newest game, Vision Quench. We’re really excited to be working with Pocketpair to help introduce Vision Quench to as many people as possible. We’ve poured our hearts (and a lot of chaos into this game), so be sure to check out the trailer.”
Vision Quench is planned for launch in 2026. In the meantime, you can wishlist it on Steam if it’s looking like something you’re interested in. It ticks a lot of my boxes, so I’ll certainly be keeping close tabs on Wizmud’s progress.