Upcoming hack & slash roguelike Immortal Rogue ($4.99) from developer Kyle Barrett promises a dynamic world, challenging combat, and pixel art that can’t help but remind players of an old-school Castlevania. Better than a promise, however, is a delivery–and from my time with an early copy, I can safely say that it delivers in spades. The combat is thrilling, the array of characters to murder, save, or turn is satisfying, and the visuals? Well… The art is fantastically retro. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the trailer below!
To be sure, it takes a short while for each run to become really challenging, but it does–it always does. Between increasing enemy density, changing weapons, and the small, almost negligible damage sustained in each level, runs quickly develop into an intense dance of weaving between projectiles, slashing bosses, and dodging explosives. There will be no surprise when death first comes calling–what, with all the bullets flying and swords hacking it’s almost a relief to spend the hard-earned blood and begin again.
If the vibe so far is that Immortal Rogue is all slaughter and no chill, then… well, actually you’d be right. But hey! At least the chiptune soundtrack is pretty relaxed! Of course, it does pick up in combat, against bosses, and just about any other time in a field. On second thought, maybe it isn’t actually that laidback after all. Regardless, the music definitely helps set the pace of gameplay as it rises in combat, before falling once more to meet a new level.
But my favourite part is, by far, the dynamic world. It isn’t changed by interacting with objects in the world per se, but by whom you choose to feed upon, and whom you choose to turn. This changing world is represented by the different landscapes, what characters appear, what weapons you and your enemies can be equipped with, and a brief text description of what is happening in the world at the beginning of each era. Don’t like where you start? Not to worry–make a few good choices over a few hundred years and the world will be a completely different place.
If slaughtering humans and demons from hell alike on a quest for life essence totally sounds like your jam, rest easy–the time is nigh. Immortal Rogue is set to release on Android and iOS February 20th for $4.99, although it is available to pre-order now at a 20% discount.
