10 Chambers
Den of Wolves: First impressions of a dystopian heist where 10 Chambers bet everything
Innovation and collaboration, the essence of the ambitious project by the creators of GTFO.
Den of Wolves is 10 Chambers’ latest and most ambitious project, taking us into a dystopian future where corporate greed and unbridled technology rule. Following their success with GTFO, the studio invited us to immerse ourselves in Midway City, a lawless corporate haven where big business battles for control and human information is the most valuable currency.
10 Chambers goes all in
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a project where the studio is literally putting everything on the line. But, what is Den of Wolves? It is a cooperative heist FPS where you and your friends operate as criminals-for-hire in Midway City. In a conversation we had with Simon Viklund, co-founder of 10 Chambers, he told us that this game was like a Final Fantasy for the studio, so there was no room for error. This could be felt in the team, as there was an indescribable halo of brotherhood and happiness during the hands-on session and even during the meals we shared with them.
One of the things we liked most about this experience is that they decided to take everything to another level, from recording the entire development process to printing giant maps so we could reevaluate our entire strategy from the ground up.
From the first moment we play Den of Wolves, we feel this immersive world and a different kind of storytelling, much more immersive than in GTFO. 10 Chambers has created a universe where technology has been pushed to its limits, creating a perfect scenario for high-stakes heists and corporate espionage, where the main element is playing as a team.
Innovation and cooperation at the core of Den of Wolves
Viklund stated that this new IP is designed to be more accessible, and we can confirm that this is the case, although it is important to say that it still maintains the essence of complexity that is balanced by communication between the entire team. Unlike GTFO, this installment aims to create an experience where collaboration is essential.
Something that is important to mention is that this game needs to be played with other people, and in fact the studio will try to facilitate interaction between players.
One of the things that caught our attention in this pre-alpha is the “immersion” mechanic where players hack human neural networks. This gives the game a surreal and complex feel as dimensions and gravity take on very spectacular nuances.
Another point to highlight is that we can alternate between stealth and action during missions, adapting to each player or team. In fact, this can even be a factor in splitting the team in two.
A more detailed world
Den of Wolves, unlike other 10 Chambers games, is not limited to being a simple heist game, but has tried to build a universe full of details that is accompanied by a narrative. In fact, this can be seen in the constant dialog that the characters have while playing the game, which makes them feel much more alive.
Quests can be arranged according to one’s skills, and can actually have a unique narrative component depending on how things are solved. For example, in one of our sessions, we chose to solve a puzzle first that was not necessarily sequential: Since it was to map out the exit route before we could solve everything else, it ended up working better because of the skills of the whole team than in our first go-round, where we chose to go all 4 in a more frontal fashion.
All of this guarantees a high level of replayability for its maps and the multiple options presented to us in each mission.
An ambitious project
Den of Wolves showed us that it is the biggest production of 10 Chambers so far and gave us a small window of all the possibilities it will offer, since the fact that it is set in a futuristic world gives you the chance to do literally anything.
Although there is still no definite release date, you can see the heart that the studio has put into the game. Now we just have to wait for the Early Access to experience this futuristic and immersive world, which we will only be able to face with 3 other companions.
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