It’s not really a full on roguelike. You do “upgrade” weapons as you use them, so when you die it’s not a complete loss. Also once you beat a boss you never have to fight them again if you don’t want to. You just make it through three areas (3 bosses each), and then you unlock the next 3, but you don’t have to start from the very beginning for the last 3.
Maybe it helps if you think of it as an arcade version of a soulslike game? Play it in 30 minute increments, don’t stress about beating it and naturally you’ll get better enough to beat it.
The story and setting is pretty unique and awesome as well.
The game is absolutely amazing. It being a roguelike is really secondary. There’s also decent progression, and I didn’t think it was that hard, you just have to get a good loadout running. Occasionally you’ll just get RNG’d within 10 minutes of a run and just start over.
That’s good to hear. I had heard that you could just get RNG’d out of a run after like 45-60 minutes of good play, so I was just immediately turned off even though the bare premise I’m aware of seems at least interesting. Because it’s free for me, and my time ROI will probably be only like an hour, I will definitely try it! Thanks!
Yeah, I would recommend looking up some build suggestions. You can definitely get RNG’d later, but it’s way less likely to happen if you have a good build plan going after the first 10-20 minutes. If you just take whatever looks good in the moment, without considering how it fits into your overall build, you’ll get screwed down the line.
Also, I missed a ton of story because I didn’t die enough. So it really is an intended part of the experience.
Also, I missed a ton of story because I didn’t die enough. So it really is an intended part of the experience.
This is a massive relief. Roguelikes and roguelites are stressful for me because I hate the idea that I’ve just wasted a bunch of time on a run with nothing to show for it, so it’s nice that even dying could be a form of progression lol.
Is there significant risk of encountering meaningful spoilers if I look up builds?
I wouldn’t think so, besides some boss spoilers, but the bosses really need to be played and heard to appreciated, they’re not the most interesting visually.
I would say play 30 minutes of the game, then go watch GamesRadar’s overview video. That should be enough, but you can also look at specific builds (even if you can’t always build into them.)
And GamesRadar’s video is correct: just get the Electro Pylon Driver. I mean, play with all the weapons, but that thing is OP.
Edit: Oh, and I played with a controller that had back bumpers (Elite Series 2). I think that’s probably the main thing that made it easier, jumping and dashing while keeping both thumbs on the sticks made combat way easier.
Edit 2: Oh, and after you beat the game, watch this video essay. Actually, go ahead and watch the first 2:30m of the video now. It’s one of the greatest lore/story/interpretation breakdowns I’ve ever seen and gave me a huge appreciation for the absolute gem of a game this was. It’s an absolute piece of art and heady as hell. If you bounce off the game, and you are sure you’ll never beat it, go ahead and watch the video anyway. It’s really that good.
I’m not really into roguelikes, but that description intrigues me, especially because it’s an included game for PS+ Extra subscribers like myself!
It’s not really a full on roguelike. You do “upgrade” weapons as you use them, so when you die it’s not a complete loss. Also once you beat a boss you never have to fight them again if you don’t want to. You just make it through three areas (3 bosses each), and then you unlock the next 3, but you don’t have to start from the very beginning for the last 3.
Maybe it helps if you think of it as an arcade version of a soulslike game? Play it in 30 minute increments, don’t stress about beating it and naturally you’ll get better enough to beat it.
The story and setting is pretty unique and awesome as well.
The game is absolutely amazing. It being a roguelike is really secondary. There’s also decent progression, and I didn’t think it was that hard, you just have to get a good loadout running. Occasionally you’ll just get RNG’d within 10 minutes of a run and just start over.
That’s good to hear. I had heard that you could just get RNG’d out of a run after like 45-60 minutes of good play, so I was just immediately turned off even though the bare premise I’m aware of seems at least interesting. Because it’s free for me, and my time ROI will probably be only like an hour, I will definitely try it! Thanks!
Yeah, I would recommend looking up some build suggestions. You can definitely get RNG’d later, but it’s way less likely to happen if you have a good build plan going after the first 10-20 minutes. If you just take whatever looks good in the moment, without considering how it fits into your overall build, you’ll get screwed down the line.
Also, I missed a ton of story because I didn’t die enough. So it really is an intended part of the experience.
This is a massive relief. Roguelikes and roguelites are stressful for me because I hate the idea that I’ve just wasted a bunch of time on a run with nothing to show for it, so it’s nice that even dying could be a form of progression lol.
Is there significant risk of encountering meaningful spoilers if I look up builds?
I wouldn’t think so, besides some boss spoilers, but the bosses really need to be played and heard to appreciated, they’re not the most interesting visually.
I would say play 30 minutes of the game, then go watch GamesRadar’s overview video. That should be enough, but you can also look at specific builds (even if you can’t always build into them.)
And GamesRadar’s video is correct: just get the Electro Pylon Driver. I mean, play with all the weapons, but that thing is OP.
Edit: Oh, and I played with a controller that had back bumpers (Elite Series 2). I think that’s probably the main thing that made it easier, jumping and dashing while keeping both thumbs on the sticks made combat way easier.
Edit 2: Oh, and after you beat the game, watch this video essay. Actually, go ahead and watch the first 2:30m of the video now. It’s one of the greatest lore/story/interpretation breakdowns I’ve ever seen and gave me a huge appreciation for the absolute gem of a game this was. It’s an absolute piece of art and heady as hell. If you bounce off the game, and you are sure you’ll never beat it, go ahead and watch the video anyway. It’s really that good.
Totally recommend toggling “always sprint” on if you do try it out