https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExI3dLt4D2M
I sort of waffle on my opinion of games that are free from time to time. I could probably talk for hours about how Free-to-play business models are destroying credibility with the player base but in the case of tonight’s game, Rogue Legacy, I got it for free because I paid money for it. So we can happily ignore that moral conundrum and two hours of my boring bullshit.
Rogue Legacy is a rogue like sort of game. I hate pointing out the obvious but there you go. It spends its time killing you over, and over, and over again. Not in a fair way like say, Dark Souls either. It means for you to die constantly and you will. That probably doesn’t sound like fun and taken at face value it isn’t. That’s where you discover the hidden joy in rogue legacy. You take the money earned from your adventures in the castle and spend them upgrading your character. Health, damage, armors and enchantments it’s all there to help you slowly conquer the castle and it’s denizens. More than that upgrading your manor allows you to unlock variations on your character that alter your strengths and play style to suit your journey in the castle. By you of course I mean your descendant. Every time you die in rogue legacy you are passing the torch of your adventure to your kin who attempt to not make the same mistake you did. At the start of a new attempt you can pick between several choices for your descendant with different jobs and skills to fit the bill. Be warned however that they also inherit genetic quirks that can alter gameplay. Some of this like the nostalgia filter are silly and don’t affect anything directly, while others such as being near and far sighted can drastically change how you approach the castle making choosing your next character an interesting dilemma.
The castle itself is randomly generated each time unless you choose to lock it down with a penalty (making fighting bosses that much easier). Castlevania fans will immediately feel at home in Rogue Legacy and warm up to the game quickly. Each of the four districts boasts a boss you must defeat in order to fight the final encounter and beat the game. As a rule, you will fill a few graveyards before you’re ready for that.
If a challenge is what you seek then Rogue Legacy is well worth your money. Fans of Castlevania and Dark Souls will find a lot to love here, and perfectionists will spend hours upgrading and gearing their characters. Casual players will have to look elsewhere for their fun, Rogue Legacy has no mercy for the meek.
