What do you get when you take Metroidvania style gameplay, mix in some roguelike and procedural generation elements, and top it off with an ability to increase your power after every death a la Dead Rising? You get Rogue Legacy, a game that’s currently marinating on Steam Greenlight. I’m going to come right out and say that if you’re at all into 2D platformers, especially ones with punishing difficulty that have a rearranging map every time you play, don’t wait around – hit their site and grab the demo the moment you can. If you’re still on the fence about giving this one a shot and want to know more about what to expect, let me give you a basic rundown of what Rogue Legacy has to offer.
Rogue Legacy has you playing not just one character, but a procession of knights who are on a quest to explore a cursed, haunted castle in the wake of an assassination attempt on the king. Every time you enter the castle, the entire layout changes dramatically – throwing puzzles, dangerous enemies, treasure chests and more in your way. Eventually, you’re going to run into a trap or monster too difficult for you to defeat, and your character will die… at which point you’ll keep all of the gold and treasure you’ve managed to pick up during your run. You then select a randomly generated descendant to continue your quest, who can use the gold they inherited from you to build a manor which will allow them to power themselves up, along with all subsequent generations. As I said, it’s a little like Dead Rising – you play the game, you die, but then you raise your stats for the next time you play through. Eventually, if you keep at it, you’ll be able to beat the game altogether.
For an indie title, this is just a solid piece of work. The demo is an absolute blast, and gives you a sizable taste of the gameplay the full release of Rogue Legacy is going to offer.
Victor Grunn has been a gamer since the days of single-button joysticks and the Atari 800XL. When not lamenting the loss of the Ultima series or setting people on fire in Team Fortress 2, he's an aspiring indie game developer and freelance writer.
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