Skip the Hour-Long Runs — He Is Coming Delivers Roguelite Action in 10-Minute Autobattler Sessions
He Is Coming is an autobattler roguelite developed by Chronocle and published by Hooded Horse. The game’s core loop consists of short runs made up of day/night cycles that end in a boss fight, and individual full runs are designed to take no longer than about 10 minutes.
- What the game is and who made it.
- How runs and cycles are structured.
- Key gameplay elements: autobattler decisions, loot, and bosses.
- Presentation: visual style and audio.
Core loop and run length
The game’s loop is built around three cycles of day and night that lead to a boss encounter. During those cycles, players open chests, scavenge graves for gear, and defeat monsters to earn gold. According to the developer description and coverage, a complete run is intended to remain short, generally finishing within roughly 10 minutes.
Gameplay mechanics
He Is Coming uses autobattler mechanics where player choices affect automated combat outcomes. In practice, players select pieces of gear and otherwise arrange resources before battles, then watch how those choices play out. Therefore, decision-making and prediction are core to each run, while direct combat inputs are limited.
Design context
Game design discussions often consider how friction and failure affect player experience, and that context appears relevant to shorter-run roguelites. For background reading on how intentional friction is debated in game design, see this article:
Does intentional friction work in videogames?
Presentation: visuals and audio
He Is Coming features retro-style visuals with a restricted color palette and chiptune music. These elements contribute to a compact aesthetic that aligns with the game’s short-run design.
How it compares to longer roguelites
By contrast, other roguelite titles can have much longer single runs. For example, community discussions indicate that runs in Hades can range from around 30 to 50 minutes depending on playstyle and progression:
Hades community discussion on run lengths
Summary
In short, He Is Coming is an autobattler roguelite built around short, repeatable runs, gear-based decision-making, and retro presentation. Its structure—three day/night cycles leading to a boss fight and runs designed to finish in roughly 10 minutes—distinguishes it from longer-form roguelite experiences.
