Over the past few years, I've heard the term "roguelike" being used to describe many upcoming fantasy-themed games. Even though practically anything with a sword has been my jam since the original Zelda, screenshots of said games failed to pique my interest. The reemerging genre was being exemplified by previously underutilized ideas like permadeath and random maps, but the big turnoff for me was the tile-based gameplay. Rogue Legacy however focuses on twitch-perfect Metroidvania action instead, which is a grind I can get behind.
There's a neat little family tree gimmick which ties it all together. A foolhardy knight storms the randomized castle with a sword drawn outward, as if charging into certain doom. It's because they are, and will surely die in a matter of minutes. You will never see them again (permadeath) but can choose one of three random heirs, each with their own often hilarious attributes. Choosing an heir with IBS won't impact your play, but there are throwaway traits like vertigo which are all but unplayable and only novel at a glance.
The chosen heir can immediately exchange the treasure found by the previous ancestor to level up the overall family so that the bloodline grows exponentially stronger. Therein lies the addictive part of Rogue Legacy: to spend the profits you just worked so hard for is to begin the cycle over with a new heir. Rinse, repeat.
I meant to give it a quick try one night but ended up playing until morning. I started discussing and researching it constantly, spreading the word to friends. I was hooked; Rogue Legacy was the real deal. I hadn't been that engrossed in grinding levels in quite some time. I was working toward collecting every achievement sans the insane trophy with a requirement to beat the game with fifteen heirs or less.
Then, at the peak of my obsession, my save file was mysteriously corrupted and erased. I was nearing level 150 and had three of the four bosses defeated. To start over at that point was beyond discouraging, although it couldn't have been much more than ten hours lost.
Now, I can tolerate the grind in only small doses, running through the castle with a few heirs per sitting as opposed to binge playing all night long. It took a corrupted file for me to regard Rogue Legacy without blinders, but the second time around, the novelty started to wear thin and I surmised that a randomized castle could never be as special as one that's fixed and familiar.
There's a neat little family tree gimmick which ties it all together. A foolhardy knight storms the randomized castle with a sword drawn outward, as if charging into certain doom. It's because they are, and will surely die in a matter of minutes. You will never see them again (permadeath) but can choose one of three random heirs, each with their own often hilarious attributes. Choosing an heir with IBS won't impact your play, but there are throwaway traits like vertigo which are all but unplayable and only novel at a glance.
The chosen heir can immediately exchange the treasure found by the previous ancestor to level up the overall family so that the bloodline grows exponentially stronger. Therein lies the addictive part of Rogue Legacy: to spend the profits you just worked so hard for is to begin the cycle over with a new heir. Rinse, repeat.
I meant to give it a quick try one night but ended up playing until morning. I started discussing and researching it constantly, spreading the word to friends. I was hooked; Rogue Legacy was the real deal. I hadn't been that engrossed in grinding levels in quite some time. I was working toward collecting every achievement sans the insane trophy with a requirement to beat the game with fifteen heirs or less.
Then, at the peak of my obsession, my save file was mysteriously corrupted and erased. I was nearing level 150 and had three of the four bosses defeated. To start over at that point was beyond discouraging, although it couldn't have been much more than ten hours lost.
Now, I can tolerate the grind in only small doses, running through the castle with a few heirs per sitting as opposed to binge playing all night long. It took a corrupted file for me to regard Rogue Legacy without blinders, but the second time around, the novelty started to wear thin and I surmised that a randomized castle could never be as special as one that's fixed and familiar.