Cheers!
* script subject to change before video is completed.
Have you
ever desired to have an old fashioned dungeon delve but found that the modern
era was standing in your way?
INTRO SCREEN
Hello and
welcome back to RedMage Reviews, I am Redmage and this is my review of Delver.
Delver is a Roguelike Action RPG currently in Early Access on Steam. The game
itself may not be long or complicated, but it hits the nostalgia itch quite nicely.
The game
premise is that you are a generic adventurer who has decided to quest into a
forbidden dungen from which none have yet returned, to find the Yithidian Orb…(sounds
like a great idea). But this is only the first half of your quest, for you must
also escape with it alive.
Gameplay is
simple, you gather random weapons, gear, eatables, and spells along your way, and are awarded xp by killing
enemies which allows you to level up. You travel through seven floors to reach
your goal, and then back through each one to return to the surface.
Leveling up
and gathering items improve your six stats as you go. Your character has an
Attack score (which is directly a damage score so adding 1 point to attack
increases min and max damage by 1), a Speed score (which increases how fast you
walk), a Health score (which improves naturally each level but you can put extra
points into to bolster), Magic (a stat which increases the number of times you
can cast spells found in wands), Agility (which affects how much movement speed
you retain while charging your weapon attack), and Defense (which is directly
related to AC, both of which stack to provide a direct physical damage
reduction number).
The goal is
simple, survive, but reaching that particular goal can be rough. In the spirit
of roguelikes, death can come fast and often. However unlike most roguelikes,
this is not due to the game directly being unfair to the player. Often it is
due to action happening a little faster than the player can keep up, or bad
luck of the random number generator when items are created (which can leave you
with inferior offense, defense, or healing when you need it the most).
Unlike many
early access games, this one is roughly complete. There is no part of this game
which feels directly missing or lacking. Everything is functional, bugs are
almost non-existant, and it plays like a 16-bit dream. Money you earn before
death is saved and rolled over into your next character, granting you improved
survival next run by letting you buy goods at the starter camp before setting
out. Don’t get me wrong, this game is not flawless, but most of the game’s quirks,
both mechanical and visual, are inspired by the Roguelike Dungeon Crawls of
old, so I can forgive them.
On the
official Developer roadmap are upcoming things like improved sound and
graphics, addition of classes, implementation of functional shops and
shopkeepers (which is much needed to offset the cruel RNG gods), bosses,
special events, more traps, and more monsters.
All of which sound good, and they have been making good progress as the
list is actually one third longer than I mentioned, but all of those goals have
already been met and implemented.
Final Score:
Story/characters/dialogue: 4/10 This game is story light, and though
it drops hints at times that’s really all they are currently. Also the dialogue
is at a minimum as there are only a few people to talk to, and character
development is simple at best. But truth is that it really doesn’t need a
story, that’s what these games were about, so you can largely ignore this
score.
Gameplay/Interface: 5/10 They are everything they need to be,
but I keep finding myself wanting more, I want a jump key, I want to use the
item in my second hand to block/attack/etc. I understand that these features
are fancy newfangled contraptions, but even with the retro feel the game does
not have to be locked in the past. It does play great though for these short
comings.
Graphics/textures/animations/visuals/art:
7/10 The “Chunky
pixels” feel a bit minecrafty, but this game feels complete, the art matches
the animations which match the textures. So much so that I can almost smell the
90’ s.
Sound/music: 8/10 The musical and sound choices here
were great, at first they seem repetitive and limited, which they are, but the
music itself is well made and fitting and changes tracks each zone, providing
good atmosphere.
Panache: yes – As odd as this sounds, the devs have worked hard to
make this feel like an old-fashioned dungeon delve. Also the game is
challenging without being unfair, fun for its simplicity, and easy to pick up
and put down.
Learning Curve: Dualistically intermediate – this
game is quite easy to play, but it is a roguelike and to win you will need to
be both lucky and good.
Totals: 6/10 (w/o story: 6.6) Limited, but quite fun. Honestly I
really enjoy this game. It reminds me of a much smaller, but much more
functional Elder Scrolls II Daggerfall, and that was a great game.
So the big
question: should you buy this game.?
Well if you
miss the 90’s then you should buy this game.
If you enjoy
first person realtime adventures, you should buy this game.
Or If you
enjoy testing your skill and patience against the inevitability of dying over
and over again just like every roguelike you have ever played has
taught/treated you, you should probably buy this game.
And at 8
bucks, it’s a bargin.
It may be
short, but it has heart. I’d love more content, but honestly its better to have
something that leaves you wanting more, than something that leaves you wishing
there were less.
(subtext:
Star Wars anyone?) (soundbite: NOOOOOOOOO)
No comments:
Post a Comment