Big Adventure, a Wellington-based indie studio, revealed Dream Team Supreme as their debut title, a roguelike deckbuilder where you pilot the giant robot Super Supreme against waves of monsters threatening the planet. The game supports solo play or online co-op for two players, launching in Early Access sometime in 2025 on Steam. A playtest is running December 10-24, 2025, as part of the Frosty Mini festival, giving players their first hands-on experience with the cooperative mech combat and strategic deckbuilding.
Two Scientists, One Giant Robot
Dream Team Supreme’s core concept revolves around two scientists teaming up to operate Super Supreme, their towering robot defender. The co-op gameplay emphasizes communication and collaboration as players work together to program the robot’s actions each turn. Unlike most deckbuilders where each player has their own separate deck, Dream Team Supreme has both players building and playing from two shared decks simultaneously.
This shared deck system creates unique dynamics where players need to coordinate their card choices and discuss strategies constantly. You’re not just playing your own game alongside someone else, you’re genuinely working together to solve each combat encounter like a puzzle. The developers describe it as making combos feel “like a giant robot high fiving itself,” emphasizing the satisfaction of perfectly synchronized plays between partners.
The Beat Sequence Mechanic
Combat in Dream Team Supreme uses a unique system called the beat sequence. At the start of each turn, you’re presented with a blank canvas that you need to fill with cartridges, the game’s equivalent of cards. These cartridges come in single-sided and dual-sided varieties, creating different shaped puzzle pieces that you must strategically slot into the beat sequence to program Super Supreme’s actions for that turn.
The mechanic adds a spatial puzzle element on top of traditional deckbuilding decisions. It’s not enough to have powerful cards, you need to figure out how they physically fit together in the beat sequence. Drawing cartridges from two different decks provides ample opportunities for synergies and powerful combinations when you can arrange them correctly. The system rewards planning and creativity while maintaining the improvisational nature that makes roguelike deckbuilders addictive.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Genre | Roguelike deckbuilder |
| Players | 1 offline or 2 online co-op |
| Core Mechanic | Beat sequence programming with cartridges |
| Setting | Scientists piloting giant robot vs monster invasion |
| Developer | Big Adventure (Wellington, New Zealand) |
| Platform | PC (Steam) |
| Release | Early Access 2025 |
| Playtest | December 10-24, 2025 (Frosty Mini festival) |
Why Giant Robots and Monsters Work
Big Adventure deliberately chose a light-hearted theme to differentiate Dream Team Supreme from the dark dungeon crawlers that dominate the deckbuilding roguelike genre. Instead of hunting rats through grimy corridors, you’re piloting your favorite giant robot toy through sun-drenched environments fighting a horde of wacky monsters of the week. The aesthetic draws inspiration from classic mecha anime and tokusatsu shows where heroes defend Earth in colorful robots against increasingly absurd threats.
The predictive drive system shows you what monsters intend to do before they act, giving Dream Team Supreme a tactical planning layer. Combined with the beat sequence mechanic, combat becomes about outsmarting enemies through clever cartridge placement rather than relying on luck or reflex reactions. The procedurally generated world ensures each run presents new challenges and layout variations, maintaining replayability across multiple playthroughs.
The Big Adventure Team
Big Adventure was founded by three industry veterans with experience at major New Zealand studios. Sami Habib worked as a programmer at PikPok, releasing games across PC, mobile, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox including content for Netflix’s gaming platform. Olivier Chrun served as Product Manager at PikPok and managed localization quality assurance for over 300 games at Keywords/Babel. Freddie Hottinger brings animation and art direction experience from Fox&Co and Shotopop, having worked on campaigns including the KFC dating sim trailer.
The studio philosophy centers on three core values: “Together to get there” (collaborative problem solving), “Stay on target” (avoiding scope creep), and “Yeah, Science!” (testing theories through empirical observation). Their development strategy follows a clear path: build prototypes to find the fun, build demos to gather feedback and nurture demand, build the full game to satisfy player expectations, and abandon products that don’t meet company or audience standards along the way.
The Development Timeline
Dream Team Supreme’s first public demo released on itch.io in October 2024 alongside a showcase at PAX Australia. Since then, Big Adventure has been rolling out regular free updates on both itch.io and Steam, incorporating player feedback and polishing the core systems. The December 2025 playtest during Frosty Mini marks a major milestone, giving the broader Steam community their first chance to experience the co-op deckbuilding mechanics.
Early Access is planned for sometime in 2025, though no specific date has been announced. The studio intends to continue regular updates throughout Early Access until the final launch, following the same iterative approach they used during the demo phase. This community-focused development allows Big Adventure to shape the game based on what players actually enjoy rather than assumptions made in isolation.
FAQs
When is the Dream Team Supreme playtest?
The playtest runs from December 10-24, 2025, as part of Steam’s Frosty Mini festival. You can sign up through the game’s Steam page to request access. The playtest gives players an early look at the co-op deckbuilding mechanics and giant robot combat before the Early Access launch.
Do I need a friend to play?
No, Dream Team Supreme supports both solo offline play and two-player online co-op. When playing solo, you’ll control both scientists and manage the shared decks yourself. The co-op mode is designed to enhance the experience through communication and collaboration, but it’s entirely optional.
Is it like Slay the Spire?
Dream Team Supreme shares the roguelike deckbuilder foundation with Slay the Spire, but the beat sequence mechanic and cooperative focus create a different experience. Instead of picking cards from your hand to play, you’re physically arranging different shaped cartridges into a sequence canvas. The co-op element also changes strategic thinking compared to solo optimization in Slay the Spire.
What platforms will it be on?
Currently only PC via Steam has been announced. No information about console versions for PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch has been shared. As a small indie studio’s debut title, Big Adventure is focusing on the PC release first before considering additional platforms.
Will there be controller support?
Yes, the Steam page indicates full controller support including DualShock and DualSense controllers. This means you can play comfortably with a gamepad instead of mouse and keyboard if you prefer that setup for deckbuilders.
How much will it cost?
Pricing hasn’t been announced yet. Most indie roguelike deckbuilders range from $15-25 at Early Access launch, with prices sometimes increasing for the full 1.0 release. Check the Steam page for pricing details once Early Access begins in 2025.
Can I play the demo now?
The original October 2024 demo is still available on itch.io if you want to try Dream Team Supreme before the December playtest. The playtest will feature more updated content and systems compared to the itch.io version, but both provide a taste of the core gameplay loop.
What’s the art style like?
Dream Team Supreme uses bright, colorful 2D art with a lighthearted aesthetic inspired by toy robots and Saturday morning cartoons. The developers specifically wanted to avoid the dark dungeon crawler visuals common in deckbuilders, instead creating a sunny, playful world where piloting Super Supreme feels like taking your favorite toy outside for an adventure.
Why Co-Op Deckbuilders Matter
Roguelike deckbuilders exploded in popularity after Slay the Spire’s 2019 success, spawning hundreds of derivatives. Most remained solo experiences because deckbuilding traditionally involves individual optimization and planning. Games like Across the Obelisk and HELLCARD proved cooperative deckbuilding works when designed around teamwork rather than just letting multiple players exist in the same game space.
Dream Team Supreme’s shared deck system takes co-op deckbuilding further by making collaboration mandatory rather than optional. You can’t just build your own deck and occasionally help your partner. You’re constantly negotiating which cartridges to play, how to arrange them in the beat sequence, and which upgrade paths benefit both players. This transforms deckbuilding from a solitary puzzle into a social experience where talking through decisions with a friend becomes core to the gameplay loop.
For players exhausted by dark fantasy dungeon crawlers, Dream Team Supreme offers something refreshingly different. Giant robots fighting wacky monsters in bright environments with cooperative puzzle solving creates a distinct identity in the crowded deckbuilder space. If Big Adventure delivers on the premise during Early Access 2025, Dream Team Supreme could become the go-to recommendation for players asking “is there a good co-op deckbuilder?” The December playtest will provide the first real test of whether the beat sequence mechanic and shared deck systems create the collaborative experience the developers envision.