Shape of Dreams' Game Director Eunseop Shim on 2025's Most Exciting Upcoming Co-Op Roguelite

An exciting and unusual game demo cropped up in May of last year, and the Steam community rejoiced. Lizard Smoothie’s Shape of Dreams would eventually garner thousands of glowing reviews on the distribution platform; quite a feat for a studio’s debut. Supported now by its South Korean publisher NEOWIZ of Lies of P fame, Shape of Dreams is shaping up to be the most exciting 4-player co-op roguelite since Ravenswatch, fueled by some brilliant player-first mechanics at its core.

Game Director Eunseop Shim is, by all accounts, fresh on the scene. Developing Shape of Dreams during an extended gap year during his studies, the game is set to make a big splash, and its multiplayer fundamentals distinguish it among many others in the niche, which, admittedly, frequently consider co-op play as an afterthought at best. That’s not to say that the demo lacks a robust singleplayer campaign, but it outright shines in its creative cooperative design.

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While we continue to wait for a confirmed release date, Eunseop Shim took some time to speak with Screen Rant and discuss Shape of Dream‘s origins and inspirations, along with some hints at what’s to be expected from its proper release, expected to arrive later this year.

Hey, You Got Your MOBA in My Roguelite

Shape of Dreams Blends Two Different Game Genres

MOBAs were a key inspiration for Shape of Dreams, but what specific MOBAs and action roguelites inspired the Lizard Smoothie team to make the game? “Some people have a kind of incorrect view on the game, that it’s a MOBA. Rather, I would like to say that it is a MOBA-flavor-infused roguelite. It’s an action roguelite, it doesn’t have PvP competitive elements in it, but it has that kind of feel that you will notice if you have played games like Dota or League of Legends before.

“The main inspiration for the MOBA elements in the game for me would be Heroes of the Storm, which is a game I really, really like. I still play it, and I’ve been playing it for more than five years. But it’s not updating very frequently right now, and not many people play it in Korea. I kind of tried to start playing League of Legends – where all the cool kids are – but, for me, there’s that initial barrier of a not-very-friendly player base, maybe a competitive nature, PvP elements. It was a bit stressful. I kind of wanted to make something that wasn’t so stressful.”

As for the roguelite side of the game’s inspiration: “Two of my favorite games would be Faster Than Light and the Risk of Rain series, for sure. I also enjoy Ravenswatch. I just like action roguelites in general. Those two are my favorite genres of games.“

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Shape of Dream‘s power creep and character building demonstrates two sides of the same coin. “I wanted to make something that plays like a MOBA – you control it with your mouse, you have QWER, you have skills, you can upgrade your characters – but in a more friendly, less-stressful PvE setting. I think the intended fun in Shape of Dreams is very similar to what you feel in roguelites, the fun where you ascend and you become ridiculously strong and nobody can touch you, and you can kill everything. That kind of fun.

“In MOBAs, when you do really well, you dominate the opponent and you just kill everyone. And that’s very similar, you know? I had an idea that it could mix very well. And if one likes either side of that fun, they will definitely enjoy playing Shape of Dreams.“

As for the games the team are actively playing right now? “We are very busy on scheduling right now, so, not very much, but I definitely still play Faster Than Light once in a while. Also, Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm. I started with the first game, which was really fun. I started playing the second one with all my friends in high school.“

Collaborative Trading Mechanic Shifts The Norm

A player inspects the Predatory Scattershot memory in their inventory near an upgrade well in Shape of Dreams

Shape of Dreams‘ modular communal trading mechanics are transformative, a key part of what makes the game feel so wholly original. It makes character builds feel stretchier and less punishing than most other roguelites, where commitment to a build is always tested through pure luck.

Where did this crucial component fit within the game’s original development cycle? “The things you describe, the modular multiplayer aspect of it, that’s something that came after we designed our singleplayer experience. I wanted to make a roguelite that plays like a MOBA, but with more freedom granted to the players. That’s the reason we made Memory-editing our primary focus for character-building and customization within the game. You can exchange your skills with your friends and trade anything.“

Shape of Dreams’ “Memories” can be interpreted as spells or abilities in other games, equippable and transferable skills, along with upgradable gems called “Essences” which can be slotted in for even further customization.

It didn’t quite work this way at the start: “We initially had a different idea where, when you start the game, you have two basic skills, two character-specific Memories. In the beginning, we locked them in and you couldn’t change them. But we had a crazy idea: why can’t you just swap it out, sell it to a merchant and buy a new one, and maybe that would be fun? We tried it out and it was pretty good, so we kept it in.

Memories and Essences can even be swapped around on the fly. “also had another idea because of how some skills and some essences work, where maybe we should lock the gems and Memories in the slots during combat. Later on, we removed that and, yeah, that felt kind of good, for one obvious reason: freedom. It lets you think more flexibly about how to make your own character. I think that worked out pretty well. And, if that was possible in singleplayer, why wouldn’t we let players do that in a co-op setting?“

Yes, that means that all drops in the game – while initially tied to players on pickup – can be freely shared among the party. “In cooperative play, each player gets their own rewards. But, if you want, you can show them to others and see what others have. We added a way to view other people’s items in the game, to press tab and see everything that’s equipped. We added those kinds of systems to let players play cooperate more freely. You can even now share currencies, gold, dream dust, everything.“

With Shape of Dreams, power creep is now a roguelite group activity.

Essentially, this trading aspect grants Shape of Dreams an almost tabletop-like feel, in spite of its ARPG structure. There’s always communication after a fight as the spoils are sorted among the group and others eye what’s in your pack. In other games, a teammate might wield a skill that would fit much better with your emerging build. Of course, they aren’t forced to give it to you here, but sharing among your party creates this wonderful sense of camarederie. With Shape of Dreams, power creep is now a roguelite group activity.

The Shape of Dreams Demo Is Already Massive

Expect Even More Substantive Content

Three players fighting a group of enemies in the second region of Shape of Dreams

A full run in the most recent playable build of Shape of Dreams can run 30 minutes or longer, but Shim has a lot more planned for the v1.0 drop: “We are adding more biomes, adding more bosses. The demo has a lot of content in it already, and we know that… We would rather focus on more meaningful content instead of just upping the numbers. Focusing on improving and perfecting and empowering the core experience we already have. We have new characters coming based on player feedback and the archetypes they want to see in the game.“

Currently, the game caps after three biomes and offers the chance to loop at a higher difficulty, so a proper ending is promised as well. “Most importantly, we are adding a new ending. In the tutorial we mention the first man to dream, Primus Aeron, and you will be facing him in the full version. And I think a single run is going to be similar to the demo’s or a little bit longer than that, maybe 15 to 30 minutes of casual gameplay.“

And, to fully rinse and unlock everything? “If you want to play more, we are going to keep the looping system. Overall – but not in a completionist run – for a roguelite veteran to fully enjoy the game, I think it’s going take maybe 40 hours or more.“

The Thrill of the Hunt

Shape of Dreams’ Hunters System Lets Players Scale

Three players fight a Leaf Hound elite variant enemy in a forest biome in Shape of Dreams

In Shape of Dreams, a persistent Hunters mechanic means you’re always on the run. Reminiscent of the system in FTL, Hunters are present on the game’s map and can be engaged at any time, with their reach eventually consuming every node and protecting the treasures therein.

How will this system expand upon release? “We have several new threats planned for the game, but rather than adding it as a completely new system, it will revolve around Hunters, like new Hunters, new Hunter bosses, things like that. Also, new special rewards for the people who dare to go into their realms to face that challenge. We always thought that there should be some threat that constantly pushes the players from behind to progress the game and do well. We adopted this system to give players a bit of pressure, to make sure that they experience some stress. Chasing them down, but not necessarily outright causing them to lose.“

The Hunters system evolved throughout the development of Shape of Dreams: “The reason why it’s built this way is because we noticed that, with roguelite players and MOBA players, the skill spectrum is very wide. When we had our early prototype, we actually had a system very similar to Risk of Rain, with time-based difficulty scaling. So, there were hunters, but there was this gauge that filled up when you progressed. As time went by a bar filled up, and the hunters would come and attack the expedition, and the difficulty went up. Kind of like Risk of Rain 2, but with a difficulty speed bump.“

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That format ultimately didn’t align with the game’s design. “The system had a problem. I mean, it’s a formula that’s already verified in a lot of great games. But, in our game we received bad feedback here and there because of how it punished new players for reading the tooltips and figuring everything out, which made the game easier for the veterans. It should be other way around. You have to read the tooltips and optimize your build, figure out where gems and skills go. You need more time to think.“

Hence, Shim split the difference between Risk of Rain 2 and FTL, prioritizing patient attention over time-based stress. “In FTL, rebel fleets move each turn. Another way to say that is: they move when you are done thinking. So, if you don’t want to think too much, you can just move, and then they move. If you want to think very carefully, if you want to read every word in a tooltip, you can do that, and only then will they move. It’s a very good system that adapts to the player, and I think that was a great element to put in our game.“

The Myth, The Legend, The Crab

The Ever-Present Merchant Crab Jonas Has A Lovely Backstory

Three players approach Jonas the crab merchant next to a crystal outcropping in Shape of Dreams

An adorable crab merchant appears in certain map nodes, letting you spend gold for new Memories and Essences. His name is Jonas, and he’s mysterious, vulnerable to damage, and complete with his own fascinating backstory: “Jonas was actually a placeholder model that we found two years ago. It’s all a dreamworld, so maybe some random guy just imagined that there must be a crab selling items? And that imagination spread out and created a new being. That works in terms of the lore.

“Story-wise, this little guy had a very novel idea of trading with real-life entities and dreamborns. With that, he accumulated a great amount of wealth, but he decided not to keep it all to himself, and shared it with other dreamborn beings. Wealth isn’t just money for dreamborns, since they need gold to survive. They are not persistent like real-life beings, they don’t know if they will wake up in the morning intact, they are impermanent and need that to live. Jonas is very altruistic and cares for others. He’s an amazing guy!“

Interestingly, though, Jonas has technically already passed on at the start of the game. “He is gone now, because he didn’t keep any of that gold for himself. Every other crab person you meet in The Rapids are actually different from each other, but they call themselves ‘Jonas’ in his honor. They live on with that determination of the original Jonas.“

For unsuspecting players, they may run into situations where they can harm the little fella(s), and passing by a Jonas node after Hunters have consumed his part of the map leaves behind a sad backpack with one single item. It’s hard to explain, but you really want to keep Jonas safe, and only a true monster would dare kill this particular merchant.

Or, as Eunseop Shim explains: “He is a good guy. Don’t hurt him!“