Rogue-like Archives - Tech-Gaming

Knight vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur review

Robert Allen — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 23:59:49 +0000

Dash a lot to save Camelot Arthurian legend has provided a foundation for countless films, with its gallant knights, enchanted sword, and battle-ready king. But some of the better adaptations have taken enthusiastic liberties with the source material, whether it’s the boundary-breaking comic Camelot 3000 or the satirization offered by Monty Python and the Holy ...

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Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun review

Robert Allen — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 22:40:18 +0000

Fans of quirky roguelikes will enjoy Ninja or Die’s soaring leaps, and straightforward combat, all set in a world brimming with attractive, pixel-art interpretations of Japanese folklore. Games that challenge you with mastering sophisticated control schemes or place you in dazzling, three-dimensional worlds can obviously be entertaining. But Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun ...

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Ed-0: Zombie Uprising review

Robert Allen — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 17:19:51 +0000

Following a year in Steam’s Early Access program, the Xbox port of Ed-0: Zombie Uprising still retains a bit of jank. But the game also offers a rather distinctive take on the action-driven, roguelike formula. Still, those who enjoy quirky games and have forgiveness for minor flaws might enjoy walking the path of an undead ...

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Abalon review

Robert Allen — Tue, 16 May 2023 19:08:49 +0000

Abalon might lack visual allure and battles can grow unbalanced by unit summoning. But the game’s succinct adventures convey potential. D20’s Abalon makes a modest first impression. The game’s simple sprites depict a fantasy setting where human adventurers, creatures, and the undead intermingle. But the art used for the game’s overhead perspective is simplistic. Alongside ...

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Wall World mini-review

Robert Allen — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 00:13:23 +0000

Let’s get this out of the way: Wall World is a near-plagiaristic copy of Dome Keeper. Just like Bippinbits’ title, you drill your way into a planet, unearthing essential resources. As you quarry, you’ll discover telltale signs of adjacent mineral deposits. After excavating the materials within, you’ll vacuum up as much as you can carry, ...

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Have a Nice Death mini-review

Robert Allen — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 12:32:41 +0000

Feeling a bit like Death warmed over. Tired of doing all dirty work on his own, Death decides to sub-contract the tedious task of soul collection. The Sorrows take up the duty and end up enjoying killing so much that Death becomes overburdened by processing all the paperwork. In Magic Design Studios’ Have a Nice ...

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void* tRrLM2(); //Void Terrarium 2 review

Robert Allen — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 01:28:40 +0000

Tamagotchi-style care for the last member of humanity provides a stirring stimulus for Void Terrarium 2’s dungeon crawling. Released amidst a tempestuous pandemic, 2020’s void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium envisioned a setting that embodied melancholic isolation. Catastrophically, a toxic fungus had overrun the world, pushing the populace to burrow into the earth for safety. But the resettlement ...

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Dust & Neon review

Robert Allen — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 03:31:32 +0000

I’m a cowboy…on steel legs I stride… Twin-stick shooters with roguelike qualities are pervasive on Steam. But with invigorating play mechanics, ample rewards for perseverance, and an aesthetic that balances style with performance, Dust & Neon aspires to stand out from the crowd. Largely, David Marquardt, the one-man studio behind apps like Pull My Tongue, ...

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Lone Ruin review

Robert Allen — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 15:12:39 +0000

Ironically, Lone Ruin lacks that magic. Games are routinely iterative. Instead of inventing an original concept, developers often deliver variations of existing works. Take Vampire Survivors, which ingeniously fused mechanics from roguelike and bullet hell genres. The game felt innovative upon its Early Access release in late 2021 and its breakout popularity spawned a multitude ...

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The Crackpet Show review

Robert Allen — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 01:59:22 +0000

Even see a chicken with a lava gun slaughter a live studio audience? There’s no shortage of twin-stick roguelikes on Switch. Even if you’ve already blown through engrossing efforts like Iron Cryptical and NeuroVoider, it’s possible to extract enjoyment from second-tier selections such as Wildcat Gun Machine and Freakout: Calamity TV Show. Unquestionably, the genre ...

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Orbital Bullet (Switch) review

Robert Allen — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 20:01:05 +0000

Orbital Bullet has you skimming through ring-based stages as you stomp and shoot enemies. Expect more longevity than your average shooter, with the game gifting a succession of weapons, perks, skills, and meta-game bonuses. A developer once joked, “isn’t everything better with roguelike qualities?” After playing, Orbital Bullet, that playful statement seems to contain quite a ...

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TOKOYO: The Tower of Perpetuity review

Robert Allen — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 18:22:08 +0000

Was it Heraclitus who said, “You never set foot in the same tower twice?” With the ubiquity of traits like procedurally-generated stages and permadeath, there’s a good chance you might be fatigued by the deluge of recent roguelikes. But developer //commentout (aka @saebashi) makes several inventive design decisions with TOKOYO: The Tower of Perpetuity, making ...

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Obsidian Prince review

Robert Allen — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 03:11:28 +0000

Descriptions or aesthetics might make you assume that Obsidian Prince is derivative. Like it’s plucky adventures, the game forges its own distinctive path. Perhaps I’m getting old and jaded, but descriptors like “roguelike” and “voxel graphics” don’t grab my attention they once used did. But when Steam applied the Mystery Dungeon label to Obsidian ...

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Loop Hero (Switch) review

Robert Allen — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 01:26:08 +0000

With light role-playing, inventory management, deck building, and even city managerial components, many of Loop Hero’s components might feel a bit familiar. But when assembled into interlocking and occasionally ambiguous ways, the title feels wholly distinctive. Remembrance is a reoccurring theme in Loop Hero. In Four Quarter’s (Please Don’t Touch Anything) release, the stars are ...

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Rogue Explorer review

Robert Allen — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 21:07:53 +0000

Rogue Explorer is like a transparent analog watch, where delight comes from the seeing how all the miniature pieces and gears work together in unison. If you appreciate games that drip-feed a sense of discovery, and don’t mind a bit of repetition, this affordably priced effort will gratify. Grinding is contentious matter in gaming. ...

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Rise of the Slime

Robert Allen — Mon, 24 May 2021 19:03:46 +0000

Tired of being role-playing fodder, slime strikes back at meddling adventurers in this deck builder. With modes that scale to accommodate novices to pros, Rise of the Slime is a gratifying experience for almost any skill level. The fusion of card-based games, light role-playing elements, and roguelike qualities has proven fruitful. Across Darkest Dungeon, Slay ...

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Quinterra (Early Access) preview

Robert Allen — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 03:19:07 +0000

The best Early Access titles feel virtually complete. Built on seemly solid foundations, these games might need just a bit of additional substance before making the leap toward a final retail build. Then, there’s a second tier of game which offer fleeting glimpses of achievement. There’s just not enough completed development to ensure successful results. ...

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Dandy Ace review

Robert Allen — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 16:39:53 +0000

An envious illusionist has imprisoned you in a monster-filled labyrinth. Escape involving mastering a collection of magic cards in the lively action-driven roguelike. Early gaming didn’t offer sophisticated storytelling. As Donkey Kong and Sonic the Hedgehog demonstrated, imaginations can be stirred by exposition as simple as an occupation (plumber) or a trait (loves running). Although ...

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Loop Hero review

Robert Allen — Sat, 06 Mar 2021 03:34:08 +0000

With light role-playing, inventory management, deck building, and even city managerial components, many of Loop Hero’s components might feel a bit familiar. But when assembled in interlocking and occasionally ambiguous ways, the title is like nothing else out there. Remembrance is a reoccurring theme in Loop Hero. In Four Quarter’s (Please Don’t Touch Anything) latest ...

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30XX Early Access preview

Robert Allen — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 04:38:57 +0000

Mixing Mega Man X playability with some roguelike procedurally generated environments, 30XX is delightfully polished, even in its current state. There’s a multitude of ways that a procedurally generated Mega Man clone can go sideways. But nearly four years ago, Batterystaple Games and Fire Hose Games’ 20XX achieved the unlikely. The result was a game ...

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