It's far from one of the greatest games I've ever played, but it's still very solid nonetheless.

It feels like a mix of Hades/Darkest Dungeon and Dark Souls to me. If you're a masochist like me you'll definitely get some enjoyment from the game.

The UI and environmental traps are Hades to a T, but the art style and darkness mechanic are very much like Darkest Dungeon. Taking more damage when not in the light makes you play a lot more strategically and the curses/corruption mechanic is a pretty unique concept too. Basically you can pay for an item or upgrade by corrupting yourself and once your corruption meter reaches 100 you get a curse which is a debuff and buff of some sort that you'll have until you fight and beat a boss at which you'll get a chance to cleanse one of your curses (You can have a total of 5, the 5th and final one is basically a death sentence though seeing as how it makes your health drain to 1 over time)

This is the kind of game that thrives on its combat alone and the combat is much more precision based and strategic than Hades due to having a stamina management system ala Dark Souls, but you do still have a main weapon and secondary weapon along with various perks like in Hades and there's tons of weapon variety too.

I'll say there's hardly any story, there's no other characters you talk to in the main hub area like in Hades and the music might as well not exist as well and due to these factors the game really dragged on in its last hours because there's really only 3 different temple variations you go through and once you go through them each like 20 times they get kind of boring.

That said all the bosses were a lot of fun to fight and all throughout my 30+ hours of gameplay I never got sick of the combat, just wish there was more variety in the level design and the music was more memorable. All in all though I enjoyed the game, it had some fresh concepts I haven't seen utilized in the genre before and very enjoyable core gameplay and combat plus it was very challenging.

You explore an ancient temple in roguelite fashion. It draws a lot of inspiration and concepts from Hades which is a good thing because Hades is amazing. It also adds some layers to it, for instance, the curse mechanic, everytime you clear a room you get cursed and after a threshhold you get a curse (up to 6 times) which hinders you but at the same type gives you some kind of bonus to compensate, it's pretty interesting and makes you plan in a certain, different, way each time or the inclusion of stamina as a core mechanic. But that's just about it, the rest of the game, as I said, it's pretty uninspired and pretty easy for the genre. Worth a try but not for full price or at least not until they release some extra content in some way.

Curse of the Dead Gods is a great roguelike, the combat feels amazing, if you're a rogue-liker you'll probably enjoy this one. It has some meta progression but not too much, and I really appreciate that you can stop weapons from appearing after you unlock them, so you don't feel bad about unlocking something bad like in some other roguelikes.
Unfortunately the game suffers heavily from being able to tell how strong your run is going to be fairly early into the run, while simultaneously being able to ruin great runs in the span of seconds. This on its own wouldn't be all that bad, but runs can take very long.
Also it gives me some uncomfortable colonizer vibes

An action dungeon crawler with a bit of a Lovecraftian influence. Your character starts with a sword, pistol, and torch and a roll dodge and parry ability to defend yourself with. You get five points of stamina that drain whenever you roll, attack with a secondary or two handed weapon, or finish the final stronger blow in your combo with a main weapon. Your torch is used to better reveal the area round you, identify traps (mines, spikes, statues that attack you when near them, poison gas, walls that shoot arrows, etc), and light braziers as fighting in the darkness with your main weapons causes you to take more damage.

The game has three separate temples with their own three bosses, enemies, traps, and visual design. They all play by having you fight through sections until your reach an exit that may allow you to select a path you want to take until your reach each boss. A section might give you more gold, have attribute increases, weapons or weapon upgrade stations, runes that give you passive abilities, challenges, areas to heal, etc. Paying for anything either comes in the form of gold or by making a blood sacrifice that increases your corruption. As you become more corrupted you are afflicted with different curses that have a variety of negative (or at times positive depending on your build) effects, until you reach the final curse that causes any hit to instantly kill you. Opening the final door to progress into the next section of the temple also increases your corruption.

Between runs you can unlock points that can be spent to add new weapons in the temples, unlock up to three passive benefits you can take with you in your playthrough, and you can unlock up to four weapon stations that can be upgraded to have a chance of carrying better gear that will give you an option to start a run with different equipment that works for your build goal.

Good atmosphere, solid combat, variety of build options, and a run through a temple is over quickly if you just want a quick game or two. But not a particular large amount of content or enough variety, and unlocking weapons can take some time.

Screenshots: https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/1501828272040005633

Curse of the Dead Gods, titolo indie appartenente al genere Roguelike, ci permette di vestire i panni di un Conquistadores spagnolo che, bramoso di trovare ricchezze e potere, decide di addentrarsi dentro un tempio Azteco. La cosa che il nostro personaggio non sa è che il tempio è maledetto e infatti, appena arrivati alla porta del tempio, il Conquistadores viene maledetto. Da qua inizia la nostra avventura, tra orde di mostri che sono stati risvegliati per fermarci. Curse of the Dead Gods, è un Roguelike con visuale isometrica dall'alto e ricorda, in tutto e per tutto, a quel gran gioco di Hades. Come su Hades, e anche su altri Roguelike, anche qua su CotDGs dovremmo superare vari Dungeon, per poter arrivare ai boss del Livello. All'interno dei Dungeons, potremo raccogliere armi, fare offerte d'oro agli dei oppure offrire il nostro sangue, ma questo aumenterà la nostra corruzione. La corruzione è la feature interessanti di questo titolo. Una volta entrati nel Tempio, il Conquistadores è stato maledetto dagli dèi Aztechi e questa maledizione aumenta di gravità in base al livello di corruzione che abbiamo. La corruzione aumenta di 20 ogni volta che passiamo ad un dungeon diverso e aumenta anche se veniamo colpitk da attacchi ricolmi di corruzione da parte dei mostri che incontreremo. Non c'è possibilità di abbassare il livello di corruzione? Solo uccidendo il boss del livello in cui ci troviamo, oppure solo uccidendo i mostri con armi che hanno come caratteristica la possibilità di togliere corruzione. A differenza degli altri Roguelike, in CotDGs avremo la possibilità di decidere quale percorso intraprendere. I dungeon che sono presenti nel gioco si suddividono in: Dungeon Oro (presenza massiccia di oro); Dungeon Arma (presenza di un altare dove poter comprare un arma); Dungeon Potenziamento (presenza di un altare che ci permette di potenziare le caratteristiche e statistiche di una delle armi che abbiamo); Dungeon Attributi (presenza di un altare che ci permette di aumentare una o due degli attributi che possediamo di Default); Dungeon Reliquia (presenza di un altare dove possiamo comprare una reliquia che ci dà dei potenziamenti); Dungeon Sfida (Una sfida a tempo dove dovremo uccidere tutti i nemici presenti e riceveremo un premio in oro); Dungeon Caveau (Una cassa è incatenata al centro della stanza. Noi dovremo uccidere i nemici senza farsi colpire); Dungeon Cura (presenza un altare del sangue dove possiamo curarci). Gli attributi che possediamo sono 3: Determinazione, Destrezza e Percezione: La Determinazione incrementa i punti vita. La Destrezza aumenta il danno delle armi e la Percezione aumenta il valore dell'oro che raccogliamo. Come negli altri Roguelike, anche in CotDGs possiamo potenziare il nostro personaggio, sbloccando armi, abilità e potenziamenti. Vi consiglio, se non lo avete ancora fatto, di scaricarlo gratuitamente dal PS Store, anche perché è un titolo valido e permette di passare parecchie ore senza annoiarsi.

Platinum trophy #200

Very similar to Hades but don't write this off as a cheap knock-off. It's worthy of your time

Fun: 10/10
Grind: 11/10 (oo pramis grabe. Will explain below bakit)
Playtime: 41 hours & 58 mins (according to the in game timer but tbh it's much longer cuz I kept save scumming)

At first I dismissed this game as a cheap knock off version of Hades but I'm so glad I gave it another go because hell, I was so wrong. I thought that this was just a simple Hades copy with a Mayan/Aztec theme (technically it's Mesoamerican mythology). Tbh since I already platinum-ed Hades 2 times already, I wanted to plat it again for the 3rd and last time but alas I couldn't find an R2 version 😔. Sorry napahaba nanaman ang aking story time, pag usapan na natin yung mismong game.

Curse of the Dead Gods is mechanically very similar to Hades but once you've actually dig in and played there are plenty different things. A very obvious difference is the parry system and stamina system. In this game there is a visible counter that would indicate that times you can dodge or execute more powerful moves. This system makes combat more strategic, you have to weigh in your stamina if you should go be aggressive or play defensively. In a way this makes the combat of Curse more slow and deliberate. It's not purely reaction, timing takes place too because you would also contemplate if you'll parry or just dodge. At yung weapon dito you can change in the middle of the run, instead of being tied to just 1 weapon. That's just to name a few, madami pa cool stuff you learn as you play. It's different and unique.

I just hate it kasi how lots would dismiss the game immediately just because of the similarities with Hades. Take it from me, this is a solid roguelike, worthy of your time. Kung ang Hades sakin ay 5 out of 5, Curse of the Dead Gods is a soild 4.5 out of 5. Yung .5 na kulang for me is the story telling. There is lore through the text in the codex bestiary but the home base is empty, no one to talk to. In my opinion, having those dialogues kasi gives the run a purpose. After dying or succeeding in a run, you look forward to the plot advancing.

Problematic trophy: Memoirs (Write all Bestiary entries with their complete sketches)
This is why I scored this game a Grind level of 11/10. To complete a sketch you must defeat an enemy without getting hit. And that includes bosses. So yeah, this is why I kept save scumming. According to psnprofiles ultra rare daw yung plat nito and I think it's cuz of this trophy hahaha. Pero ayan, kinaya naman. So if anyone needs any help, tips, builds guides, for this game. Or even Hades for that matter. Ask away, I would be happy to help.

Happy Gaming everyone! ❤️

Curse of the Dead Gods is a well made roguelike that is experientially similar to Hades. I like it, but won't stick with it for much longer.

Curse of the Dead Gods has very solid combat mechanics that are focused around a stamina system that is used to execute melee combos, ranged attacks, and to dodge. I like this system, though it does take a bit of getting used to and has some rough edges. It encourages more cautious play and creates a natural ebb and flow to the combat as you sometimes have to retreat to regain your stamina.
The way stamina works does create a bit too much uncertainty in the combat for me, unfortunately. Your dodge only works while you have stamina and when you attack with stamina, the final hit in your combo is a more powerful version of itself that uses stamina. The result is that I often unexpectedly find myself failing to dodge out of an attack unexpectedly. The limited i-frames on the dodge make it even worse, since sometimes you don't dodge because of your stamina, and sometimes you fail to dodge because you got hit, with the end result being that the reason for your failure is unclear. (so you try to dodge again but you actually were out of stamina so you get hit again or you just used your last stamina dodging incorrectly so now you are out of stamina so you get hit again, etc...)

There are multiple weapon types, each of which goes into a main-hand slot, an offhand slot, or a 2-hander slot. Each of them offers a unique moveset and the main and offhand weapons combo into each other in unique and satisfying ways that make the different options fun to explore.
In addition, you accrue relics (straight, small bonuses) and curses (larger positive bonuses with a drawback) as you fight through the temple. Some of these are interesting, but most of them don't change your playstyle too much. I didn't find enough variety in runs other than the weapon itself, unfortunately, which is a pretty big flaw for a game of this type.

The narrative in Curse of the Dead Gods is basically non-existent, but the theming is very strong. You are a guy fighting his way through an Aztec temple for some reason that isn't super clear. Everything is very evocative and in line with the Mesoamerican style of the setting (with a bit of Elder God thrown in) and I enjoy fighting my way through this world even if I don't know why I am doing it.
The game looks great. It is a bit reminiscent of Mignola's art, but with more detail. Heavy use of light and shadow in the art lend itself well to some light and shadow based gameplay that is minorly important as well.

I had a good time with Curse of the Dead Gods, though I don't think there is quite enough here for me to stick with it. I want a bit more uniqueness from run to run and I think the mechanics are just a bit too finicky to really keep me around on their strength alone.
If you are done with Hades and want a similar experience, can't hurt to try this one out!

Very much enjoyed the game at first, but after a dozen hours or two and having completed a few dungeons, I'm just not feeling it anymore. The art is gorgeous and moody, the combat is solid and fun, but I'm just not enjoying the way the game handles stamina management and how frustrating it feels when enemies interrupt your attacks when stamina is so limited. It doesn't help that this, again, feels like playing a demo where I have to unlock the full game, and the unlocks are so expensive too. Just seems like a case of a solid game that I'm not really vibing with and I just want to move on.

Nunca vi um jogo com um sistema de upgrade tão porco quanto esse, você tem a sensação constante de que não está evoluindo a porra do personagem, não importa o quanto jogue. Além disso, não tem nada de mais nos gráficos, e mesmo assim os loadings são grandes, o que é um absurdo. Como se não bastasse, depois que você zera a “primeira” parte do game, é liberado uma nova, que pensamos que vai ter inimigos e chefes diferentes, mas não, são literalmente os mesmos, porém com status alterados para ficarem ainda mais fortes (como se já não fossem fortes o suficientes antes), e os malditos desenvolvedores ainda te obrigam a ver as MESMAS CUTSCENES, sem direito a SKIP.
Agora se tratando da gameplay (mecânica do jogo), é bem legalzinho, sem bugs e combate fluido. Tinha tudo para ser um bom jogo, faltou diversidade de inimigos e um bom sistema de upgrade.

pretty intersting mechanic if i say so
the light and shadow
the curses
the weapons
everything in this game is ... lets say special some how
and idk how or why but with all that i feel like something is missing
even tho i finished it 100% almost but i was not satisfied yet
any wayyyyy
a solid rogue like game i recommend the first few hours thumbs up emoji