Qubic Games brings us the game of Switch Applava After passing an Early Access process on Steam. A colorful and addictive roguelite with a twist to the genre where greed can be our downfall.
The new mechanics
Here the general mechanics is the usual one of the genre. You start being a nobody and as you go through the rooms you are improving the character, weapons, skills … The crux lies in that to improve, you have to suffer. Here the enemies release hearts, coins, keys and artifacts. What are artifacts? Objects that harm our character and there are little dangerous (you can not collect hearts) or very dangerous (dies immediately when touching an enemy). Depending on your risk, the appliance has a value between 0.3 or 1.6. You can pick up more and then the number of risk will add as we suffer more nerfeo. The thing is to survive until we find the store, where we must exchange negative artifacts for objects that really empower the character.
The greater the risk we have accumulated, the greater the improvement button. In the store we can also invest the coins won in new weapons or resuscitate the teammate if we are playing the run cooperative. Another mechanic of Blazing Beaks is that special rooms (shop, boss and secrets) can be generated 1 to 2 times before reaching level 10 (this goes like other games, Zone 1-X, Zone 2-X). The thing is that the later we face the boss, more health will this. Taking into account that the game has "Loops", where we will return to the beginning against more enemies and stronger indefinitely, my advice is that you face the boss as soon as possible to quickly reach the madness of the loops.
Variables to tutiplén
For starters, there are up to 8 different down characters; each with their health stats and individual perks; of which 6, are unlocked from the beginning. 71 items (the good ones), 57 artifacts (the bad ones), 7 skills (meh), 43 weapons, 32 enemies and 6 bosses (meh). I don't want to do the mathematical accounts, but the replayability is more than obvious. Oh, haven't I told you about multiplayer modes?
Multiplayer
Despite being a twinstick title, Applava has thought of those who only have a Nintendo Switch without extra controls. Therefore, for the multiplayer, everyone can use a joy-con and let themselves be helped by the adjustable auto-aiming (How much do you want me to help you? 30%? 70%? You can choose it in options). Of course it is not the optimal experience if you do not have 2 jostick per person. But it is a solution more than enough and that is appreciated for those who do not have extra controls.
Normal run (with adjustable difficulty) can be played in cooperative up to 2 players. That will make the thing more fun and that has exclusive objects and a resurrection system in store when one falls.
Although the madness comes in the Tournament modes. A competition for 2 to 4 players that can delight an afternoon of games: Deathmatch (all against all collecting drops), One gun (all with the same weapon), Drop hearts (Suffering damage makes a heart drop that can be picked up by anyone), Skull keeper (the classic capture and hold the flag for X time) and Hunting (one spear per player as a weapon. This is the most fun for my taste).
My conclusions
The ugly: You miss a better view of the character's statistics. When you carry 24 items you lose the total account, so I would appreciate a panel or similar to indicate the current status. 180% increased damage, 150% reload speed, etc.
This also applies to armament. We can only carry a weapon of which we don't know for sure its stats, and when we find another one, we must decide well if we want to make the change. Well, once done, there is no going back because the "old" weapon disappears, it is not on the ground. A serious mistake for me, especially in the cooperative.
Unfortunately and as expected, the character and stage editor stays in the final PC version. But hey, that the same if asked could consider doing something about it. You can contact them via Reddit for example.
The weird thing: After several games, the small variety of bosses (one only per zone) become a hindrance instead of a challenge. A few encounters with them you easily grasp the pattern and it is difficult for them to be a great challenge. In doing so, they are one of the most boring rooms (you are going to get tired of killing the frog).
More or less fair progression where dying is always a small anger mixed with frustration (as in any roguelike), but it is not difficult to recover a good arsenal. Especially if we bet strongly with the balanced risk / reward system. However, there have been few games that reach level 1-6 or even face the first boss and have not dropped any artifact. There the thing becomes a bit frustrating; because you feel that the game does not let you move forward.
The good: That the map occupies the entire screen has several good things, for example, that you will never get a shot in the back. All the elements that are going to harm you are there, it is up to our ability to react and observe the ability to avoid them. This is mixed with another positive point, and that is that we are 2 or 4 players, the playing area is the same for everyone. No one will take the camera with them. Ergo will avoid situations such as your colleague asking "Where am I?" Or "I don't know." Believe me that this multiplayer experience has been most gratifying to what roguelites refers to.
The note is in line with the moment of finishing the analysis, however, it is a game that gives rise to numerous updates that bring several novelties or merely visual corrections, because bugs I have not found one. You have the game available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for € 14.99. The size of your download is 280 MB.
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