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TGS 2016: Hands-On with ‘Gesuido’

Okay, probably the last thing any iOS gamer needs is yet another roguelike, but they’re popular enough that we’re probably going to keep seeing them. Fortunately, a lot of them turn out to be pretty fun. Gesuido is a new roguelike from independent developer Ryosuke Mihara, inspired by NetHack. You play as a samurai ripped from Japan’s past who is forced to navigate the sewers of a modern-day city. It’s an odd premise, but it sets the tone for the game to come quite nicely.

Although the developer cites NetHack as the inspiration for Gesuido, in practice, it’s closer to the Mystery Dungeon games in terms of complexity. You guide your character around randomly-generated dungeon floors searching for the exit to the next floor, battling enemies, gathering items, and earning new skills. Gesuido stands out by offering some clever skills such as the Minimalist skill, which is stronger the less your character is wearing. It also has a unique style of presentation, opting for a simple monochrome look with realistic sound effects for things like splashing through puddles. Unlike many other recent roguelikes on iOS, Gesuido has an ending that you are working towards.

Gesuido will release later this year. It’s going to be a paid game, so you don’t need to worry about any free-to-play shenanigans here. While it’s probably not going to be enough to sway people who are totally sick of the genre, it should be a good time for everyone else. We’ll have more on the game as it gets closer to release.