One of the favourites of the recent resurgence of 2D games, brought about by the access that indie developers have to platforms like Steam, RogueLands is a cheap and cheerful game with a lot to offer. This fast paced multiplayer RPG is easy to learn and difficult to master, with a lot of interesting combinations of skill and tactics for you to try.
What to expect from this Rogue Playing Gamec
Full of laughs and challenges, it appeals to both hard core and casual RPG gamers. Furthermore, it’s inexpensive and offers something different with each play through. On the surface, RogueLands is a 2D side-scrolling adventure game, with RPG elements and multiplayer. However, the actual game goes a lot further than that and does great things with this simple recipe. The story of the game is that after an advancement in Aether technology, earth has been invaded and destroyed by a being called the Destroyer. But fear not, you’re a young Galactic Cadet sent out to hostile planets to find enough resources to save earth! These are no ordinary planets but in fact procedurally generated levels which provide tons of variety and surprises. The main mechanic of the game is to explore these worlds on the hunt for resources, in the form of ore and trees. While doing so you combat creatures of all shapes and sizes, using the powers you’ve collected.
Old ideas but a fun new style
There’s a lot of reinventing the wheel in RogueLands, but they do it so well. For example, the procedurally generated levels for an RPG are reminiscent of the original Diablo, but nevertheless they’re really fun in this game and they keep it fresh, extending replayability and ensuring that as a multiplayer game, everyone’s on the same footing. The RPG system too is nothing new, as you have a character classes, equipment and inventory, but in fairness these building blocks just make the game easier to learn. One thing which is more refreshing is the crafting system. For starters you use droids to mine resources, so you aren’t manually hacking away. Then you combine the items you find until you can craft Emblems, which are turned into new gear. Mastering all the weapon and equipment combinations is a real challenge which is rewarded by the fast-paced action combat. Combat Chips are one such item of equipment which provide passive buffs and especial abilities, so you can form the perfect group by choosing complimenting chips. Graphically, you’ll see a very simple pixel art here but it looks good and fits the vibe, while the audio too follows the stripped-down theme. Together they give the feel of playing through a classic arcade game.
An RPG for fun with friends
RogueLands is definitely more fun with friends, as it’s built heavily around the multiplayer aspect and a lot of the enjoyment from this game is the sense of adventure and panicked combat, not so much the building of a character or RPG storyline. However any RPG fan will appreciate this take on the core systems of RPGs and the chirpy, light-hearted graphics.
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