Collect a corrupt city's debts in roguelite narrative adventure Debtors' Club

Of all the roles that gaming has put me in, I've never been a debt collector for a sleazy, run-down, corrupt city badgering people for their tax money. That's about to change. Shaking out the pockets of the populace is the main goal in Debtors' Club, as shown off in a new trailer today during the PC Gaming Show.

Debtors' Club puts you in command of a small army of lazy bureaucrats, cheap thugs, and corrupt officials as you attempt to squeeze all the money you can out of a failing city's debtors. You'll beg, cajole, bluster and bluff a long list of dog walkers, bowling alley owners, and water aerobics instructors along your valiant path to… I dunno, sleeping poorly at night or something?

Each day, you'll attempt to call in the city's debts by hassling citizens over the phone and sending various employees out on missions. Roguelite elements make your playthrough unique to you, whether you're a kindly officer giving people the benefit of the doubt, or sending your "Paci-Fist" enforcers out to rough people up at the drop of a hat.

With an art style reminiscent of Sunday cartoons and an irreverent sense of humor, Debtors' Club looks to make your descent into bureaucratic evil an entertaining ride. Minigames abound, including a hostage negotiation, a card game to make a bureaucrat do what you want, and apparently a Tiger LCD style game you can play in a diner.

We're anticipating a 2024 release date, and if you just can't wait any longer to shake down some poor schmucks just trying to get by, there's a demo available now on Steam.

Russ has been playing PC games since the top of the line graphics were in ASCII and has been obsessed with them just about as long. After a coordinated influence campaign to bamboozle his parents into getting a high speed internet connection to play EverQuest, his fate was well and truly sealed. When he's not writing about videogames, he's teaching karate, cooking an overly complicated dish, or attempting to raise his daughter with a well rounded classical education (Civilization, Doom, and Baldur's Gate, of course). He's probably mapping in Path of Exile right now.