Home
Found this gem on sale a couple weeks ago, and finally got down to playing it. I strongly emphasize on the word "gem" in my last sentence, as this game is honestly incredibly good.
You play as Heart, a humanoid robot that reminds me of Canto from FLCL. After a brief tutorial that explains combat systems, the world is apparently thrust into the robot apocalypse, and you are reconstructed 100 years later to figure out what is going on. The plot is mostly told through vague descriptions (so far in my experience) through another robot you run into named Slash, who has a quest line that changes each time you complete a different part of it. The game is a roguelike with the maps being randomly generated, which fits incredibly well in this genre. There is over 160 different items, with equipment slots consisting of 3 weapon slots, and four armor slots that include head, arms, torso, and legs, each of which benefit in a specific way from the items you may find. Weapons vary wildly and appear randomly in specific rooms that the minimap will tell you as you play. There is anything from swords to gauntlets to Spears to shotguns and rocket launcher, there is a lot to work with here, and they unlock more as you complete achievements in game.
The combat is closer to DmC (the ninja theory one) with there being no lock on and holding the bumpers swaps to your alternative weapons while they are held. Your middle weapon is always out, with the other weapons being selected by holding the bumpers. Attacks consist of a light and heavy attack, with combos existing in between. Gun weapons have ammo and must be reloaded with heavy attack after they have been depleted. Some weapons have elemental properties, and thus can have an added benefit against certain foes, as well as elemental effects such as freezing, poison, burning, and stun with electricity. Along with a double jump you have access to a Dodge roll as well which grants i-frames throughout it's use. As you kill enemies, you gain pieces to make an upgrade box, which you can then use to upgrade any of your own gear. Due to the roguelike nature of the game, upgrades last until death, with only a select few weapons asking a ludicrous amount of upgrade material, primarily as a joke. The upgrade descriptions are vague to keep with the light hearted theme of the game, but they explain enough that you'll understand what each does normally. For armor pieces, there is a wide variety of types and functions they can do. One of my favorite pieces is the clockwork chest piece, which allows you to fire a rocket burst from your chest whenever you press the evade and heavy attack button at the same time. Things like this make every run unique and exciting, as you never know how the gameplay will shift for you.
To my knowledge, the game has 3 levels, with an endless dungeon mode in the works by the dev. I've only completed the first level as of current. The first two levels have two potential bosses each. The first level itself is more of a corridor style, while the second one is much more wide open and has some areas that include platforming elements in order to get to some of the weapon locations. Both felt really good and fun to play on.
One of the most unique things about the game that really excited me is the music. The level design seems like a sort of apocalyptic reality, with the first level being a robot factory with everyone trying to kill you, and the second being a vacant city covered in fog and robot foes. In stark contrast to this, the music at almost all times is up beat and almost poppy. Combat in some scenarios may bring in guitars for intensity, mostly boss fights, but outside of that, the music is very up beat and makes you feel excited to just roam around these barren environments. Hell, half the reason I think I boot the game back up is just to hear the music again because it just feels really good.
I highly recommend this game, especially if you want a simple pick up and play action game. There are so many things this game introduces that I feel could be revolutionary to the genre, and it deserves so much more attention because of it. It's on PC only to my knowledge for about $15.
You play as Heart, a humanoid robot that reminds me of Canto from FLCL. After a brief tutorial that explains combat systems, the world is apparently thrust into the robot apocalypse, and you are reconstructed 100 years later to figure out what is going on. The plot is mostly told through vague descriptions (so far in my experience) through another robot you run into named Slash, who has a quest line that changes each time you complete a different part of it. The game is a roguelike with the maps being randomly generated, which fits incredibly well in this genre. There is over 160 different items, with equipment slots consisting of 3 weapon slots, and four armor slots that include head, arms, torso, and legs, each of which benefit in a specific way from the items you may find. Weapons vary wildly and appear randomly in specific rooms that the minimap will tell you as you play. There is anything from swords to gauntlets to Spears to shotguns and rocket launcher, there is a lot to work with here, and they unlock more as you complete achievements in game.
The combat is closer to DmC (the ninja theory one) with there being no lock on and holding the bumpers swaps to your alternative weapons while they are held. Your middle weapon is always out, with the other weapons being selected by holding the bumpers. Attacks consist of a light and heavy attack, with combos existing in between. Gun weapons have ammo and must be reloaded with heavy attack after they have been depleted. Some weapons have elemental properties, and thus can have an added benefit against certain foes, as well as elemental effects such as freezing, poison, burning, and stun with electricity. Along with a double jump you have access to a Dodge roll as well which grants i-frames throughout it's use. As you kill enemies, you gain pieces to make an upgrade box, which you can then use to upgrade any of your own gear. Due to the roguelike nature of the game, upgrades last until death, with only a select few weapons asking a ludicrous amount of upgrade material, primarily as a joke. The upgrade descriptions are vague to keep with the light hearted theme of the game, but they explain enough that you'll understand what each does normally. For armor pieces, there is a wide variety of types and functions they can do. One of my favorite pieces is the clockwork chest piece, which allows you to fire a rocket burst from your chest whenever you press the evade and heavy attack button at the same time. Things like this make every run unique and exciting, as you never know how the gameplay will shift for you.
To my knowledge, the game has 3 levels, with an endless dungeon mode in the works by the dev. I've only completed the first level as of current. The first two levels have two potential bosses each. The first level itself is more of a corridor style, while the second one is much more wide open and has some areas that include platforming elements in order to get to some of the weapon locations. Both felt really good and fun to play on.
One of the most unique things about the game that really excited me is the music. The level design seems like a sort of apocalyptic reality, with the first level being a robot factory with everyone trying to kill you, and the second being a vacant city covered in fog and robot foes. In stark contrast to this, the music at almost all times is up beat and almost poppy. Combat in some scenarios may bring in guitars for intensity, mostly boss fights, but outside of that, the music is very up beat and makes you feel excited to just roam around these barren environments. Hell, half the reason I think I boot the game back up is just to hear the music again because it just feels really good.
I highly recommend this game, especially if you want a simple pick up and play action game. There are so many things this game introduces that I feel could be revolutionary to the genre, and it deserves so much more attention because of it. It's on PC only to my knowledge for about $15.
