Image via Chief Rebel
Dungeon crawlers and group co-op games can be intimidating to get involved with. From Neverwinter to World of Warcraft, the sheer scale and time requirements for many of these titles can be a no-go for gamers, even if they are interested in jumping in. This is where Fellowship comes in, offering a 20-minute crawl with all the satisfaction of longer, more tedious options.
Fellowship is a co-op dungeon-crawling experience that is geared at combining everything players love about the genre in a way that is inclusive to every schedule. Launching in early access via Steam on October 16, 2025, it challenges players to team up with friends and tackle difficult bosses.
A Truly Inclusive “MODA”
Inspired by MMOs, MOBAs, and ARPGs, Fellowship offers players a little bit of each genre. While it definitely hits the MOBA inspiration particularly well, developers at Chief Rebel have included some important changes that make this title stand out from other options.
The highlight of this combination is an emphasis on accessibility. During our preview, the devs broke down their desire to make Fellowship a game that doesn’t discriminate against those who can’t play for hours at a time. Players can link up with friends and do a twenty-minute dungeon and boss before jumping back out to cook dinner or put kids to bed, and not miss out on anything the game has to offer.
Additionally, difficulty can be easily scaled via numerous dungeon settings. No part of the game is locked behind progression, allowing players to access everything right from the start. This creates a more equitable and enjoyable experience for everyone and will help prevent the elitism that can sometimes spawn in games like WoW.
A Satisfying Dungeon Crawl With Smooth Progression
In our preview, we had a chance to get hands-on with the combat of each dungeon. Combat is smooth and will be familiar to any MOBA fans. Depending on the class being played, players will have an arsenal of abilities to unlock and use as they work through different dungeon maps.
Levels have several mini bosses, and finish with a large boss that combines many of the skills learned throughout the crawl. Bosses aren’t easily taken down. They can punish players with different status effects like overheating and freezing depending on their own abilities. It is important to pay attention and keep an eye on what the boss is doing, and react accordingly to survive.
We had the chance to try out the new ranged hero Elarion during our playthrough, and found that a combination of skills from different heroes in the party is the best mixture for a solid success. The team gameplay is fast-paced and satisfying, and will leave players eager to jump into another match.
No Subscriptions After Early Access
Something I personally appreciate about Fellowship is that is will be a premium title. While that might sound surprising, there are a lot of benefits to paying up front for a game instead of pretending it is free-to-play. Most games that claim to be free aren’t, locking most content behind expensive monthly or yearly subs. This makes the game unaffordable for many, and punishes new players who have to start the grind from the bottom.
Chief Rebel has stated that the only additional content players can choose to purchase is cosmetic and will not affect overall gameplay. This means every player can purchase the game flat out, immediately access the content that makes it exciting to play, without worrying about additional costs for new content in the future.
Plans for Early Access
While what we saw in the preview for Fellowship was highly polished, the game will be launching in early access with plans to continue beefing out the options and structures that make up the dungeon-crawling mechanics.
That said, the game doesn’t play like an early access title, and has plenty to keep fans busy right out of the gate. The art style is sharp and offers a classic MOBA vibe. The combat doesn’t stutter or lag, and the progression trees and character unlocks feel organic and well-thought-out.
Because of this, knowing there is still more to come for the title is very exciting.
Fellowship is the MOBA for gamers who have wanted to join a co-op dungeon crawl but want more freedom, versatility, and general inclusivity in gameplay. With so many ways to enjoy the game, it is sure to be a hit among dungeon crawler fans.
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