Recent reviews by Coldaardvark

TL;DR - Games good, but it's so RNG heavy don't expect to win. Ever. You CAN, I've seen people who have. I haven't. 90% RNG, 10% player input kinda game.

This game is so incredibly RNG heavy that it's barely even a game you can 'play'

I have never beaten the last boss of a run, despite knowing exactly what he does, and what I could do to beat him. I've tried going for synergies, doing burst damage, sustained healing, sustained armor, armor regen, reducing his attack, scaling mine the longer a fight goes on, so on and so on.

I have tried to win seriously, I have planned my runs based on what I've been offered, I have pivoted on the final day to a totally different build.

Nothing works. I always fail, and consistently I've managed to get the boss to 5 HP out of 100. Or, I get completely wiped. I have found some in-between, but that's most of my runs.

Sometimes I also get slammed first day because I just don't get an item I need, however simple it might be to come across.

That all being said, I enjoy the game because it's so chill to play, and I can see that it COULD be an awesome rougelike if there was just...some tweaks, or something dude, I don't know. It feels like this could be an idle game with how little control I have over anything. Why isn't it? At this point it even feels like my choices don't matter.

Just before writing this review, I found an item pre-upgraded to DIAMOND, I didn't even know it could go that high. You wanna know how that run went despite building hard into maximizing it and other synergies?

Died to the last boss, didn't even beat his first phase. Absolutely melted the other two bosses turn one, they couldn't even attack me, but I just...can't beat the final boss of the FIRST ZONE.

I keep picking it up every day and trying a few runs, I just can't make it man, maybe I'm not understanding something on how items spawn, I don't know.

Overall, it's a fun game, and I do recommend it for fans of roguelikes akin to Loop Hero. I just can't seem to win a single run.

Oh, and unlocking items actively hurts your future runs. Having a bigger item pool means it's even harder to find good items, even if the one you unlocked is fantastic, actually finding it in a run you want it in is completely random.

I think I'm realizing that other roguelikes I've played may 'tilt' the RNG scales to feel more 'fair' or 'fun' becuase if this is what completely random percentages feels like, I'm baffled I've never felt this way with other roguelikes I've played.

This game is a fantastic, somewhat short experience.

This is not an RPG, it's more of a Silent Hill meets Kings Field in Japan. Combat is purposefully clunky, but you are by no means helpless. Once you get the swing of it, you can dodge, parry, guardbreak, headshot, totally dominate and style on the demons of the Labyrinth.

The story is very simple. Your lord has been slain by the Demon King. Avenge him.

There are a few friendly NPC's you meet that you can choose to help, and if you do, you can unlock a TON of helpful things. If not, you can go faster through the game.

If you don't know where anything is in the game, you can take about as long as me for your first playthrough. If you DO know where everything is, you can finish this game in around 2 to 3 hours if you're going at a good pace.

Simple, solid, I only had one crash happen that I can consistently cause. For a new release from an indie dev, that's still great.

The music, sound design, and presentation are all great. It's oppressive, heavy, oozing dread and uncertainty.

An amazing game for the price, and a steal on sale. Highly recommend, this is one of my favorite Indie Horror titles.

8/10

Note: At the time of this review, the developer is working on adding a brass knuckle type weapon to the game so you can punch demons to death. Also as of this review, there is NO NG+. From what I've heard, they're working on this as well.

It was a blast, well done developers!

After 100%ing the game at 33.6 hours, I have to say that this was not only a surprise, but a blast to play.

This developer is now on my radar as one to follow.

I enjoyed their previous game, Samurai Bringer, but I couldn't stay hooked in. Metal Bringer hooked me and I couldn't let go of it until I was done!

Very simple, very fun Rogue-like RPG game.

Tiny, cute robo soldiers and girls as well as Giant AC-style mecha that the little robots pilot.

Part swapping mid fight, blasting limbs off, dashing, dodging, shooting, slashing.

Incredible game, Highly recommend if you want to burn some time on a fun game.

Story is very simple and nothing to write home about, but it's serviceable. Very light-hearted game.

I should play more of their previous title, Samurai Bringer...

It's a very simple, very clunky (in a classic game way) kind of souls-like rogue-like game.

I like a lot of what the game offers, I dislike a few things.

Overall, it's a very fun little game and it's meant to be played fast and loose. Very low investment in each run compared to other roguelikes.

The ONLY thing you'll lose is gold, and that's easy to get back. Upgrades hardly offer anything unique to a run beyond raw stats.

Gear however changes how you play. Thief armor lets you loot bodies for extra gold, but you're VERY fragile. Avoracious armor DOUBLES all gold recieved, has decent defense, but halves your max HP. The Generals armor makes you HEAVY, FAT, SLOW and really durable, and gives you a sumo kick that stuns, AOE's and hurts a lot.

There's tons of armor and weapons for the price. The gameplay is very simple.

Light attack, Heavy attack, block, parry, dodge. That's it. It's all it needs to be for a good loop.

I'd hope for more in this game through an update or two, or perhaps a DLC, but if I don't get that, I still feel it's worth it for $10 or less, easily. It's a fun little game you can sink about 20 hours or more in for a 100% achievement run, 10 to 40 minute runs depending on how much time you take on each room or floor.

Pick it up if you're on the fence about it, it's a good way to burn some time away while waiting for February releases, or if you are looking for a more 'low investment' kind of action game.

A fantastic little game that you can beat in roughly 2 to 3 lunchbreaks.

Honestly, good value for the $3. Very pleasant, cute, and has some nice flare in the FX and SFX.

Great work Rat Monthly! I look forward to seeing your next game!

This game deserves more love. It's like a lost Gamecube gem. It's just a lot of simple, no bogus fun.

TL;DR: If you like games similar to Phantasy Star Online, Souls-likes, old MMO's or even PS2 action games. This game is a must buy, it feels like a forgotten gem, a cult classic time forgot.

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This game feels like I'm playing an old PS2 title. It's everything I would have hoped for even this early in it's development.

Multiplayer has had no issues, it was smooth and responsive, characters are cute and fun, the 'suggestive' designs and proportions can be offputting to some, but for me it only added to this games charm.

Bosses and enemies have unique attacks and patterns, allowing you to learn how you want to handle each situation according to your build and playstyle.

Combat is fast, fluid and meaningful. Maintaining buffs, casting spells, basic attacks chained into heavies and abilities, it's been a blast!

Every skill feels useful in it's own way and unique. Bandits can steal money from enemies, making hitting multiple enemies in one cast a huge cashout, while Fighters can block for ages compared to all other classes, and mages have reliable and interesting spells for different situations. From piercing laser lances to stunning AOE novas.

I'm honestly satisfied and want to keep playing, but I have a few critiques and desires that aren't met.

- Controller support. I need it. This is just a desire of mine. Not a game breaker, but I'm more comfortable with a controller since my job is constantly at a keyboard, it's nice to play a game where I can take a break from that.

- Lock on. In this game, lock on is like Legend of Zelda or Souls games, but it's clunky. You don't lock on to the nearest target to your reticle or your character, you lock on to the enemy you're currently aiming at, and you have to be aiming RIGHT ON THEM. When they die, your lock on ends, and you have to lock on to another enemy manually. I would like the lock on to be more forgiving, where it locks on to an enemy 'close' to your aim rather than what you're directly aiming at, so rapidly switching lock-on targets is less cumbersome.

- More. I just want more of this game. The current level cap is 20, which I believe will grow as the game progresses, but it does make me a little sad to see that "MAX" so early on. I'll make new characters and try new classes and ideas until then.

Fantastic game, fantastic community.

First time I've seen such powerful democratic spirit defeating automatons of the planet Snoy Paystation.

Our votes and voices alone pushed the invaders back. Well done, and godspeed!

See you planetside divers.

We dive together, or not at all.

Okay, after a little bit of time with the game after a while of waiting for updates, I can safely say it runs MUCH better now. I don't want to say it's perfect, but it's perfect 'enough' for me when set to performance mode.

Game is visually gorgeous, the artstyle and character designs feel inspired and detailed while still being recognizable and clear. Candles on hats, armors with clear plating, faces with distinct shapes, names, voice acting for every character I've found. From murmuring street widows to shopkeeps, this game is a visual treat.

Gameplay is similar to that of souls games, with a few differences. Stamina management is a much harsher mistress here, where only getting one or two swings with even the smaller weapons is all you can muster, or suffer punishment from your enemies in return. 'Greedy' attacks will get you very little here, and will often lead to taking unnecessary damage. Keep calm, keep patient is my advice. Take your licks where you can get them.

Rolling is responsive, attacks are far reaching and stretchy, you can visibly see models squash and stretch. It reminds me of my time in animation classes, everything is expressive, swings are meaty and powerful strikes are emphasized.

If you could animate something in BOLD and italics, this game does it at all times and it's wonderfully alive.

I can't say much to itemization yet, but I've found some new armor here and there, poise as a stat for those who know it is a stat in THIS game too, so hopefully that means you can trade hits with larger or smaller weapons with enough plates on your chest.

I did find a pair of daggers that gave me a chance to earn money when I hit an enemy, but I didn't know how 'high' that chance was. Meanwhile, it made enemies explode when they died. Even if the daggers didn't directly kill them. It was wild watching wolves fight bandits, only for the bandits the WOLF killed explode, setting the wolf on fire and they all started blowing up in a chain reaction and I got all the XP...
That was pretty fun to watch.

I'm excited to play more, and hope to fall in love with this title as it has certainly grabbed me in a way many games haven't lately.


OLD REVIEW:
Game seems fun, but I can hardly play it at all.

No amount of lowering graphics settings changed my framerate.

Max settings? Slow and stuttery.

Lowest settings with everything turned down? Somewhat better, still laggy and stuttery.

I'd love to be able to play the game properly, because the combat feels fun, but it sucks being unable to react to attacks due to framerate.

I'll hold onto the game since I do plan on upgrading my CPU, because my GPU doesn't have a problem with this game.

Annoying that none of the graphics options seemed to do anything.

The game is great, but has some problems.

Here are some facts before my opinion.

- The game expects you to pay attention to your environment, surroundings, allies and NPC's. There are a lot of things that can go right or wrong if you do not pay attention.

-The Micro-transactions are not necessary, and everything you get from them you can get in-game rather easily.

- Performance in cities and towns is aweful, but still playable. Leaving town, you'll see performance return to normal. Devs have said they're working on fixing this.

- Fast travel is very limited until late game with prep and knowledge.

Now for my thoughts.

I love this game. Combat is hard hitting and powerful, sound effects for attacks and spells are satisfying and meaty. Spells crack with base and crunch, hammers strike with meaty cracks, swords rip through flesh.

The story is a very typical fantasy fare, you must slay a dragon and save the world. There's more to it than that, but you don't know about it until after you slay the dragon.

Characters are very cookie-cutter, but serviceable. There's an affinity system to get a 'lover' so to speak, but you can also make NPC merchants like you and they'll give you big discounts on their wares. It's not very deep, but it's something you can toy with.

There are tons of side-quests. There's always more to do it feels like. Every turn and twist there's another thing to do, be it a new cave, new monsters, or new characters with things that they need done. It's very organic. Often I found myself walking to somewhere I'd never been, only to kill some beasts, stumble on a new NPC who wanted to go somewhere else I'd never been, and when I got there I found even more quests. None of these are required either.

If you want to beat the game, just do the main story and you'll be done. The side-content is totally optional, but there is a LOT of stuff you get for doing it. New spells, attacks, skills, classes and so on.

There's a certain mechanic that you have to worry about later in the game, which people are split on. I'll give my two cents on it.

It's not a great mechanic, as it's purely punishment for little more than not paying attention. However, the game warns you constantly to pay attention to your allies (pawns as they're called) and to listen to them.

They talk constantly about a rumor of a sickness that they CAN get, that will cause them to be disobedient, aggressive and violent. If you summon a pawn, they usually listen to you, are friendly, helpful, (sassy but never mean) and all around kind. If you see a pawn with a headache, groaning, anger or ignoring your orders. If you hear your pawns talking about how they're not listening to you, if you notice RED GLOWING EYES.

Get rid of the pawn in question. If it's your personal pawn, throw them in the water. Deep water. Let them drown and resummon them. They have that sickness. If it's a pawn you summoned from the rift or on the road, do the same, or dismiss them.

If you don't there will be DIRE consequences if you rest in a city or town.

As a side note, I have played for nearly 60 hours, and never once encountered this mechanic yet. So, there's that.

Regardless, just pay attention. The game is fantastic, and take your time to enjoy it while it lasts. Once you've got everything figured out, the mystery and discovery will be gone. Part of the fun is the adventure.