Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons to play a new roguelike is to experience how developers have taken the systems and mechanics of other games and blended them with the gradual progression and “just one more run” addictive nature associated with the genre. One of the more popular roguelikes is Supergiant Games’Hades, which blends satisfying isometric hack-and-slash combat with the studio’s penchant for gorgeous hand-drawn visuals and creative storytelling. Releasing on Steam in early access after several demos, Gentle Giant Games’Spiritfallis proving to be every bit as enjoyable as some of the games early impressions are drawing comparisons to.
Spiritfallis a new roguelike that combines theaesthetically pleasing hand-drawn visuals ofHadeswith the platform-based combat of theSuper Smash Bros.series. Crowd control of enemy mobs is one of the main focuses of combat and the ability to satisfyingly launch enemies off of a platform using the game’s many weapons is reminiscent of the best moments in a heated match ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Not to be content with mere comparisons to much-loved titles,Spiritfalltakes the aforementioned elements and blends them into something wholly unique, providing players with meaningful progression and upgrades that encourage repeat play sessions in the process.
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Best-In-Class Roguelike Combat on Display in Spiritfall
In the world ofSpiritfall, the animistic religion and its pantheon of gods have become forgotten. It is up to the player, an unnamed protagonist introduced in the game’s opening moments, to fight through enemy hordes on a quest to destroy the barrier that has prevented these gods from having influence. In amove very reminiscent ofHades, players begin each run by choosing from a variety of weapons to dispatch foes and are granted various combat bonuses associated with each of the gods at the culmination of each room.
Each of the rooms that players make their way through in their attempt to complete a run are made up of various platforms. If onewere to imagine aSuper Smash Bros.levelwith a floor they wouldn’t be far off from an apt description of the combat spaces inSpiritfall. As players combat foes they are encouraged to use the heavy attack (dubbed “launch”) to catapult enemies across the screen with a satisfying weight and snap, bringing to mind one of the main mechanics of theSuper Smash Bros. series. Armed with a basic and heavy attack, a projectile, support attacks and a dash,Spiritfallgives players a varied repertoire of abilities with which to accomplish their mission.
Spiritfall Leverages Its Influences to Become a Sum Greater Than Its Parts
Rather than rest on its laurels as a shameless imitation of much-beloved games,Spiritfalltakes some of the best components of its influences to create something different in the roguelike genre. Though it uses hand-drawn visuals as part of its presentation,Spiritfallhas its own unique visual identity and doesn’t misuse itsHadesinfluence. The enemy launching andjuggling of combatants found inSmash Bros.is a unique approach to combat that hasn’t been implemented in any roguelike up until the release ofSpiritfall,and it’s an approach that works better than it has any right to.
With the roguelikes being one of the more common genres for indie developers to try and tackle in their projects, it can be difficult for players to know which ones are worth their time and money. Games often claim influence from successful and acclaimed titles in their press releases only to fall far short of their initial promise.Spiritfallavoids these stumbles by a creative blending of its influences instead of outright copying them. The inclusion of meaningful progression and a bevy of upgrades for players to chase suggests thatSpiritfallhas earned itsHadescomparisonand is every bit as addictive as its main inspiration.
Spiritfallis out now in Early Access on PC.
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