The Case

There has been a popular trend in gaming the past few years, games that have a heavy penalty upon death. Many times you have to start over with another character, or lose all of your valuable souls. Day Z, Dark Souls, FTL, Spelunky, and now you can add Rogue Legacy to that list. It resembles the genre characterized by brutal difficulty and ego smashing deaths, but it has some very interesting twists that make it a welcome addition to the roguelike family.

The Trial

Starting the first character in Rogue Legacy will last a matter of seconds maybe a couple of minutes, before a spike trap will end your life. The second character may last shorter or longer than the first but will ultimately find the same fate in the foreboding castle that you will see quite a lot of. There is very little story in Rogue Legacy, basically you and every ancestor you have is trying to break a curse. It is not important, it gives a reason for this game to exist the way that it does but it can be funny, and it is more about the stories you write by playing the game. Every character is slightly different and the further you get into the game the better each ancestor will become, even if they are slightly odd.

Rogue Legacy is not as “hardcore” as many other games that share some of its similarities because dying is actually a central part of the game. Every time you die, one of your ancestors will be the next in line to try and win the day by defeating the end boss. It is not just handed to you and there is a certain amount of skill involved. Every time you get a new character you need to try and make as much money as you can because you cannot keep it when return and start a new randomized castle. The only way to keep your money is to visit one of the shopkeeper guys in town and buy new equipment, or spend it on upgrading your ancestral home. Everything else will be taken by Charon as a fee for entering the newly randomized castle. There are many things like that to keep in mind, how much gold can I earn, what piece of gear do I need, practice fighting a boss? These are questions you will need to ask yourself and it creates a degree of strategy that is not immediately evident when you look at the game.

If you have played games in the olden days of 2D sidescrollers you will be immediately familiar. Rogue Legacy is a metroidvania type game even down to the map. You hack at enemies or use your spells and they die. It controls perfectly and responds really well to what you want to do. You will also need to dodge enemy attacks, which is not always easy and can lead to death really quickly. There are some RPG elements thrown into the gameplay as well because you will find loot hidden around the castle, get new character classes, and get new magical abilities. It all comes together smoothly and makes the player want more. It makes each death seem like you are getting somewhere and in fact you are, but you need to make sure sometimes that you make good runs through the castle. It can be very tense, fun, and addictive. The game has very interesting aspects to it that really not that many games have explored before. Every character you have will have different traits, some will be helpful, some are funny. You can be balding, near sighted, gay, afraid of chickens, etc. They create an interesting dynamic that should be explored further in other RPGs.

The game looks like the games I grew up with, which scratches a nostalgic itch, but it also looks great at the same time. Each character has their own unique look and changes with different armor sets, but there are not really huge varieties like in many other RPGs. The castle is randomized every time you start a new character but it looks relatively the same too, until you start getting to a point of being able to survive more, and get to the other parts of the castle (there quite are a few). The sound design is good enough, it is not great, but it is also reminiscent of the old 2d sidescrollers of yester year. There is music in the background that changes every time you get to a new area, but really it is the same sounds for most of the game. Whatever, it works well enough, and it does not detract from the game at all.

The Verdict

There is not really that much to complain about in Rogue Legacy, it is a real joy to play. It captures the old school games that I grew up with, at the same time it brings new, fresh ideas to the gaming world. The castle is fun to explore because you never quite know what you will find, and I left most of that for you to find out. Sure you will die a lot but that is part of the fun because each new generation holds the promise of being more ridiculous than the one that preceded it. The rewards of doing a run through the castle and narrowly escaping death is a treat that should not be missed.

Case Review