Super Smash Bros as an action roguelike!
Gentle Giant is a newcomer to the indie games realm, having debuted with Spiritfall, a platform fighting game created in the format of an action roguelike. Combat is quite Super Smash Bros (SSB)-informed, and feels like the Subspace Emissary or Multi-Man Smash expanded into a standalone game. You play as the Omenforged and throughout each run obtain blessings from the seven (or eight, shhhh) divine spirits (which act as the game's rng) with the goal to travel to "the brink" and unseal the gate by any means necessary. There's not much to the story, but it slowly unravels itself throughout the first five runs.
Combat is rather simple, here. Unlike many other "rng-crazy" action roguelikes, in Spiritfall the attacks you start with are largely what you end with, though you can unlock one special move during your run as an upgrade, as well as some new passive abilities. Most of the blessings in this game work towards improving your stats on attacks or applying elemental properties to them. These upgrades don't initially "feel" that big, even after much stacking. However, I'd argue that this is good game design for the context of Spiritfall because the player grows in power about as quickly as the enemies during an average run. This keeps the game simple to play but hard to master with the player maintaining deliberate control of the Omenforged; thus, much of the player's ability to win a run comes from their skill and prowess rather than a crazy spectacle of rng combos - isn't this the original purpose of a roguelike, anyway, to progress by skill rather than rng? There are difficulty modifiers in case you want a harder challenge, cosmetic unlockables, as well as four additional game modes such as Boss Rush and Target Practice.
One point of criticism I have for the game is that the runs can lack diversity. There is only one boss per biome, and there are five biomes per run, which means you'll be encountering the same five bosses in the same order on each run. I think having alternating bosses per biome, like in Slay the Spire, would address some of this predictability. While the bosses are well-designed, sometimes they can feel like a bullet-hell with an overwhelming number of projectiles; this is a more major point of contention for me.
Now where Spiritfall really excels is its art direction and presentation. The game utilizes a highly animated and vibrant cartoon graphics style that feels very mystical and divine, featuring mythological lore that doesn't go too deep. It's all about atmosphere rather than linear story-telling, and I think it looks amazing. The soundtrack is also great, featuring folky, cinematic soundscapes with a lightly surreal or even psychedelic timber to it. It really captures the setting well, and enhances the game's ambience.
The controls work perfectly - they're tight and intuitive, the Omenforge does exactly what I tell it to do, and I have not come across any bugs in my thirty or so hours playing the game, making the gameplay feel polished, satisfying, and refined. The game works well on both controller and keyboard (and mouse). The game's pacing is also great, with each run taking between twenty and fifty minutes.
Overall, Spiritfall is a masterfully presented action roguelike, informed by platform fighters like Super Smash Bros, with awesome visuals and sound design, refined controls and movement, and good pacing. However, I think the game suffers from run predictability, lack of a meaningful post-game, and too many projectiles in boss fights. Balance could also be improved a bit, with some upgrades feeling stronger than others (I did not elaborate on this above), but I do appreciate that this is a "skill-based" roguelike that doesn't rely on crazy rng combos to win; though I understand that some people seek out the latter in this genre.
I can recommend Spiritfall as an enjoyable experience to fans of both platforms fighters and action roguelikes, as well as fans of beat 'em ups or anyone who likes a fair challenge, immersive atmosphere, and a good soundtrack.
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