Welcome back to another roundup of MMOs and MMO-adjacent multiplayer games you’ve never heard of! And hey, if you thought the last gaggle of games that we gathered together for this series wasn’t quite different enough for you, don’t worry; we’ve got a fresh bundle of things that really feel like they shake things up. Well, sort of, anyway. And only one of them is an extraction title!

Hidden Door

We’ll begin with Hidden Door, a self-described “social storytelling platform” that effectively lets players enter into the fictional worlds of pre-existing novels, movies, or TV shows as their own character. This does mean that AI tools are being leveraged to make this happen, but unlike other Plagiarism Engines, this one actually seeks to collaborate with creators instead of steal from them via revenue sharing agreements. There are currently different worlds based around The Wizard of Oz, Pride & Prejudice, The Crow, and The Call of Cthulu, with more planned later.

Of Peaks and Tides

Next up is a multiplayer survival sandbox from indie CyancookGames called Of Peaks and Tides. This game features some of the hallmarks of the survival sub-genre, but its major hook is the fact that players can fully manipulate the land and elements to their advantage in both building and combat. The game currently has no release date, but it will be playable on the Gamescom floor and a comment from the game’s trailer suggests a demo is in the works.

Dungeon Stalkers

Lastly we come to that PvPvE extraction RPG, aka Dungeon Stalkers. The game, which entered early access just this month, bills itself as a hero-based extraction title, with six characters available from the start and three more that can be unlocked with in-game currency and plans for more hero releases later. Among the usual extraction gameplay elements are other wrinkles like a witch’s curse mechanic that randomly applies effects to runs and an armor breaking system that sees armor pieces shatter if too much damage is taken. Steam reviews are right now sitting at “mixed,” with most pointing out a massive hacking and cheating problem.