Rogue Legacy

If you like action platformers that get increasingly bullet-hell as you level up combined with hitboxes so terrible you'd think they're that bad on purpose, then boy-howdy this is the game for you. The game bills itself as rogue-lite, and I guess so, but the dungeon variety is so lacking that one has to wonder if even that description implies too much breadth and depth. Most of the spellcasting classes feel underwhelming, and I have to wonder if anyone even uses any of the spells that aren't time stop, hit-every-enemy-in-the-room-once, or the single-use teleport. Enemy projectiles love to pass through walls if they're spawned even a pixel within it, and some types just do so regardless. Just for extra frustration sometimes the game likes to throw hilariously out-of-level late-game monsters into normal rooms in the first area when you're a low level character, just to spite you. Apparently the developer doesn't understand the difference between providing a rewarding difficulty and just punishing the player for playing. What makes it all worse is that this game is built upon a lot of good ideas, and could have been great fun, it just seems like the developer couldn't be bothered to do any bug-testing to find the faults that drag this game down into the rubbish bin. If you like torturing yourself with your action games, you'll probably love this. Otherwise, steer clear and save yourself the needless frustration.

Of the big three roguelikes I know (the other two being The Binding of Isaac and Spelunky) Rogue Legacy is probably the shortest and most accessible one. Weirdly enough, it is a traditional RPG in terms of its mechanics: if you had experience and knowledge of the game you could probably beat Castle Hamson (the first area) right off the bat, but then you would definitely have to level up to go further. The fighting is done well and feels fair – at no point do you feel like you have to be a world-class speedrunner to dodge enemies and their projectiles, but it’s not a walk in the park either. The neat part is that once you have upgraded your stats and armor, the first area (and later on the subsequent areas too) becomes child’s play to the point that you will routinely effortlessly and carelessly breeze through it… which is then rectified by the difficulty increasing NG+ mechanic. The best part about it is that you’re in control – until you beat the final boss the enemies won’t level up (something I definitely took advantage of). Being what it is Rogue Legacy is probably a tad too grindy, but I wouldn’t say it overstays its welcome, and once you get the hang of it, clearing the castle with your more powerful descendants will keep you entertained.

One reviewer pointed out some limitations when it comes to modifying your controls (he or she had couldn't map mouse buttons, I can't map jumping to shift). Another reviewer pointed out that playing the game over and over with new heirs feels like level-grinding. True, true. But the game is still addictive. Unless you totally screw up you'll get to improve the stats of your descendants at least in some way for every death, and who can resist continous stat improvement? There's always some kind of carrot dangling in front of you when playing Rogue Legacy.

I have to say I've been into rogue-like games recently, so I picked this up. It keeps the main idea of a rogue-like intact, which is finishing the game with one life. Multiple characters usually end up dieing in the process. However, in Rogue Legacy, you pretty much have to die to finish the game because the only way you can upgrade your gear and your characters is by dieing, using the money you earned to upgrade yourself. What makes this game definitely worth buying is the several different classes available. You don't have to pick a class in the beginning and stick with it for the entire playthrough. There are also lots of ways you can play by wearing various armor and using different runes in your gear. You could be extremely mobile, absorb life from your enemies, or acquire riches with these runes. You can mix and match with every character too. The only bad I would have to mention is that the extreme randomness of other rogue-like games is gone. For example, no matter what class you play, your armor and weapons will still be the same. However this is compensated with each "tier" of gear altering stats differently, which can help or hurt your character based off your style. Another example of this is there aren't any magic potions, scrolls, or gear to identify. It won't impact gameplay though. All in all, it's a fresh new spin on the rogue-like 'genre', and it's definitely worth checking out if you can get it at $10 or less.

The game is a blast to play but there are a few problems with it. The controls can be a bit wonky at times. The game is grindy as hell after a while. And the amount of upgardes you need to progress feels ridiculous, along with the fact that most of the upgrades are just boring anyways. I would definitely recommend it though.