Extraction shooters have carved out a niche in recent years, but few attempt to fuse their high-stakes loop with outright psychological horror, but that’s exactly what The Mound sets out to do. Developed by ACE Team, this co-op PvE experience blends scavenging, survival, and tense extractions with the creeping dread of Lovecraftian cosmic horror, where the environment itself feels as dangerous as any enemy. With shifting realities, unreliable senses, and teamwork pushed to its limits, it’s shaping up to be a very different kind of jungle expedition. Here are 15 things you should know before you buy.
A Lovecraft-Inspired, Co-op PvE Extraction Shooter
Drawing inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft’s novella of the same name, The Mound plunges you deep into uncharted jungle with up to three fellow explorers in search of artefacts and riches. Except, there’s unknowable danger lurking beneath the canopy. While the extraction genre’s familiar nuts-and-bolts drive the action here – loadout stations, deploying to hostile lands, scavenging loot, and surviving long enough to hightail it outta there – The Mound leans into Lovecraftian cosmic horror to warp the very fabric of reality, testing the trust of your team.
Each Expedition is a Descent Into Madness
Replicating a key theme in Lovecraft’s novella, in The Mound the further you trek into the forest, the more susceptible you become to madness, paranoia, and hallucination. The game presents traps and distractions, making you question what you see and hear. From sensory illusions – footsteps unknown in the undergrowth, to shifting colours and distortion – to unpredictable threats like imaginary trinkets materialising over spike-filled pits, laying invisible to your gaze. Each player perceives reality differently too, so whilst you’re unaware of the doom in front of you, your teammates can step in.
Communication is Crucial
And this brings us neatly onto the next thing you need to know: in The Mound, communication with your teammates is crucial to survival. The game uses spatialised voice chat, where the volume and direction of your comrade’s voice adjusts depending on their proximity to you. This isn’t just for realism and immersion, but deep inside the jungle there will be times when the figure you’re seeing may-or-may-not be your ally. In these moments, detecting their location through sound might be the only lifeline you’ve got.
Gameplay Follows Established Extraction Formula
Once your expedition begins in earnest, the gameplay loop involves scavenging for riches, food, weapons, and other resources, including mysterious metal ephemera that signals the location of high-value loot with a clang. You’ll also encounter indigenous stragglers and marooned survivors, the latter you may be asked to rescue. Abandoned forts of failed expeditions yield valuable intel, while an overarching objective is to locate the titular Mound. Here, as Lovecraft’s novella explains, is the gateway to a subterranean underworld filled with striking architecture, and abhorrent monsters. Whether the game treads the same narrative path remains to be seen, but the sentiment is that the Mound is an epicentre for wealth and prosperity – hence, your captain and overseer demands you find it.
Your Captain Outfits Your Squad Before Each Run
Before embarking on a treasure hunt, however, you’ll spend time aboard the Tempestad, your home galleon which serves as a base of operations. Across its creaking decks, and amongst its dimly-lit enclaves, you can speak to the ship’s cook who’ll advise on the best foodstuffs to retrieve on-land, request a tune from the resident lute player, and pet the ship’s sleepy dog. As far as hubworlds go, the Tempestad is rife with noxious atmosphere, but it’s the Captain whom you’ll need to address before departing for the coast. He’ll offer a pre-run contract for you to sign, usually revolving around finding specific items or locations, and returning with a minimum loot value. In exchange for your services, he provides weapons, gear, and resources.
Inventory Space is Limited
From the outset at least, you’ll have just six slots in your inventory. That’s room for a flintlock pistol, a machete, some gunpowder, perhaps an item of food, and two spare for whatever you pick up on the mainland. There is, however, an ox cart which trails your expedition’s progress, and there is room in its trunk for collected items plus anything surplus on deck. But, here’s the thing: that pistol? The machete? The Captain doesn’t give you one each. Together with your team, you’ll need to strategise before setting off, deciding who takes the rifle and who gets the sailor’s knife.
Guns Don’t Work in the Rain
And, actually, it rains quite a lot in the jungle. So, if you’ve got a flintlock or matchlock firearm, be prepared for it to malfunction once the heavens open. Balancing firepower with blunt force teamwide is set to be the dominant strategy then, not least because ammo and gunpowder are scarce. What’s more, intense moisture and condensation makes oil lamps flicker nervously, making it harder to see structures through the dense mire. If it wasn’t clear by now, this jungle is not your friend.
Excess Noise Can Wake the Forest
Here’s the other problem with guns: they’re loud. Popping the head off some eldritch stalker might seem like the fastest way to clear the forest’s immediate threat, but it’s a surefire way to cause more trouble for yourself and your team. See, the jungle doesn’t want you there, but the intimation is that it lies dormant unless disturbed. If it’s awoken, a gauntlet of hostile enemies will converge on your location. And, it isn’t just firearms: the clink of sprinting armour, the splash of a river crossing, the echoing horn of a lost ox-cart, these are trade-offs you’ll need to assess moment-to-moment. Sometimes, sneaky, stealthy approaches are the most viable strategies.
The Jungle is a Character
If it wasn’t clear by now, The Mound’s jungle is as fleshed out of an assailant as any of its tentacled zombies. Heck, it’s arguably more characterful than the archetypes you choose to command back on the Tempestad – more on those four next. See, ACE Team has leaned heavily into art direction, atmosphere, and sound design: mist blankets, envelops, and evolves; the rot of mushroom-sprouting wood moans in the breeze; birdcall specific to the region of Chile you’re exploring pierces through the inky-black night. You could go as far to say that the jungle’s aesthetic design grows into mechanical resistance; it has a personality of its own.
Four Character Archetypes
Yep, there are four distinct archetypes which you can choose before entering the fray: Alonso de la Torre is a pacifistic, somewhat nihilistic former soldier who is unmoved by war or riches – he sees wealth, simply, as freedom. Leonor is a fugitive, having fled Spain after a remorseless murder. Don Rodrigo de Medina is a nobleman jaded by war like Alonso. He seeks honour in truth. How their stories pan out remains to be seen, but one thing you need to know is that these archetypes are cosmetic only. They don’t have unique skills or abilities.
Progression Earned is Shared
Completing the Captain’s contract objectives yields currency of your own, plus XP for levelling up, and story progression, and it’s this latter element that is confirmed to be shared across each player across the team. The jungle forces you to work together regardless, but advancing the story together too further incentivises teamwork.
Can Be Played Solo
The Mound can be played solo, with computer-controlled allies joining you on your expeditions. However, ACE Team has deliberately designed the game around co-op, thus venturing into the wilds on your own isn’t just inadvisable but grows increasingly unviable long-term. Contracts reflect the number of human players, though, so if you must set forth solo you’ll be rewarded accordingly.
Release Date, Platforms, and Price
The Mound is scheduled for release on July 15th, with PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam the confirmed platforms. Pricewise, you’re looking at $29.99 for the standard Digital Edition, and $39.99 for the Deluxe. For console players, there is currently a 10% pre-order discount running until launch date. If you’re on PC and fancy giving the game a go before committing to a purchase, there is a free demo available on the game’s Steam page.
Deluxe Edition Overview
Alongside the base game and the Lost Explorers’ Sword Pack, The Mound’s Deluxe Edition includes the Abyssal Gear Pack and Fortune Hunters Character Pack. That’s extra cosmetics, two-more characters, and a dangerous new area to explore for a tenner more.
PC Requirements
As detailed on the game’s Steam page, to run The Mound at a minimum your PC needs to be outfitted with an Intel Core i7-8700k or AMD Ryzen 5 1600x CPU. Graphics-wise, you’ll need a GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB, and AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB, or Intel Arc A7700 16GB. Recommended settings list an Intel Core i7-11700k or AMD Ryzen 5 5500 CPU, and an RTX 3070 8GB or AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT 12GB GPU. 16GB RAM is the baseline memory whatever your hardware. Also, as noted on the Steam page, this information is subject to change – it’ll be worth keeping your eye on the details in the lead up to launch.
