Catharage

Catharage is a space tactics roguelite in which you pilot a capital ship to protect Catharage station from enemies. You venture into unknown space, complete missions for the station and gather resources to strengthen your ship and fleet. If you die, you lose what you have collected on that run; return home in time and your reward is saved.

Missions and runs

You choose where to fly and which enemies to fight, making each session as calm or hectic as you want. Missions earn credits, while randomly generated loot can be equipped or scrapped for currency. You can spend what you recover on global attribute bonuses, ship upgrades and unlocks, fleet members or one-time bonuses to help you face tougher enemies and travel farther.

Each run can also bring special upgrades that change your ship’s build. An engineering upgrade can turn a weak corvette into a brawler, while a forge can make a lumbering battleship a nimble kiter. Encounters vary: you might arrive during a battle and scavenge its remains, or enter a gas cloud that strips your armor and leaves you vulnerable to enemies you once considered beneath you.

Ships and equipment

You can unlock more than 30 ships, each with its own attributes. Some are large, slow and heavily armored; others are nimble and frail but can hit beyond their size. You assign weapons to fire automatically at targets and can discover three weapon types, each with special perks that change its behavior.

Modules provide attributes or active abilities, including microwarp drives, cloaking devices and EMP blasts. Items can have traits such as scaling damage or set bonuses, and loot comes in rarities ranging from scrap-worthy to run-changing. Every kill may affect your chances of finding loot.

Combat and strategy

Catharage is slow-paced, but fights can quickly become overwhelming. Preparing your ship and learning about enemies, systems and strategy are key to handling its encounters and obstacles.

Multiplayer

You can play alone or with up to four other captains. In multiplayer, you can specialize ships for different roles, use support items to buff and heal allies, or split up to clear sectors faster.