Rogue Legacy Review

Get ready to die and die again. And again........ 

Rogue Legacy is a deliciously difficult, frustrating, and rewarding game. All at once. All the time. When I first started playing the game I thought there was something wrong with me and the game. How could I play only for 30 seconds and then die? Was I really that terrible?



Well, a little. But a good way to describe Rogue Legacy is that you don't get awesome all at once. You make baby steps towards your end goal, slowly upgrading your family (more on that in a minute), choosing which character class works best for you and different situations... and man those times you bring back a horde of gold to pick that one upgrade that will mean the next big difference. You live for those moments. 



For those of you unfamiliar with the title, Rogue Legacy is a procedural generated world that plays a mix of Ghosts n' Goblins, Demon's Souls, and old school Castlevanias. Each of those games are frustrating in their own sense, and it is the tough parts of those games all in Rogue Legacy. You will die. But the devs made sure that each little thing you do does add up. 



The premise of the game is that your family is trying to solve the mystery behind the castle. Each generation of your family attempts to go that one step further into the castle. How that works is that every death you have, you get to choose the next of your kin to venture forth. This is where you need to have a bit of strategy. Sometimes a Mage would be to your benefit, or an upgraded Paladin. But you also have to weigh in the traits that come with each family member. 



You might have ADHD (you move faster), you might be color blind (yes, all color is muted), glaucoma (the edges of the screen are blurred). Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good! 

Hey, that cured my glaucoma!

And you can unlock the "Architect" in the game to lock in the castle design if you really feel you can progress in a certain generation. or with a different character. Of course, that comes with a price. 

Speaking of prices, you're going to hate Charon. Every time you go back into the castle you have to surrender your unused gold to him. Not a percentage. But ALL of it. So make sure you spend your loot wisely or you'll be ticked when you buy nothing but still have to give him hundreds of gold pieces.

I will always hate you, Charon. Always.

Upgrades! This is what the game is all about. Do you bump up your health stat or improve your Miner so you earn more loot? Do you save up for that new weapon you found in the castle or forest or dungeon? The possibilities are pretty big. 

Sounds effects and soundtrack are classic 8 bit and match the visual style well. Controls are tight and easy. That's good because you're going to need all the twitchy fingers you got to avoid enemies, fight bosses, and navigate tricky passages. 

I did my review by playing on the Vita, and it was pretty awesome. The game can be played in tiny chunks which if you have to boot up your PS3 or PS4 each time that takes time. I'd get frustrated playing a few times on the Vita, suspend the game, flip it on in about 5 minutes and there you go. Ready to subject myself to the game again. 

I was proud of this pile of dead dudes. 

Verdict: 8.5/10
Yes, you've heard the phrase "Just one more level" before, but you've never really experienced it until you play Rogue Legacy. 

I can foresee this game being a time suck for many people. Especially if you have the PS3, PS4 and Vita, because you've got a cross buy and cross save game. Play on one system, jet to work on your Vita with the same stats. 

Yes the game is frustrating, but just so addictive that every little bit you improve upon will make it so you get just a little further into the castle, and one step closer to solving the mystery behind your family's past!

So readers, what do you think? Have you played the game? What do you think? Want to play it? Comment below!




 
                     
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