Necrosmith

Necrosmith is a unique simulator game. While most games in this genre will have you performing some real-world menial jobs, Necrosmith will allow players to become the necromancers they always dreamed of being – complete with an engaging gameplay loop that’s sure to keep you glued to the screen.

It might look like a simple RPG experience like many others, but Necrosmith’s tactical gameplay and charming sprite art are sure to earn the game a considerable fan following. Even if you’re just tangentially interested in collectathon RPGs, there are more than a few good reasons why give this bizarre title a chance to join your collection.

Assemble Your Armies

As a necromancer, one of your core skills is reanimating dead tissue into undead abominations. All this sounds a bit gloomier than what’s actually going on in Necrosmith, though. The game is more or less a more bizarre version of Pokémon: one where you collect bits and pieces of the dead to assemble your armies.

Even though it might seem like Necrosmith is just another tower defense game like any other, there’s a complex unit-building mechanic behind all the charm and fun characters in the game that’s surprisingly deep and customizable. Veterans of the genre might remember Custom Robo – well, this is just like that, only more undead.

Each body part you collect comes with different attributes that you can then mix and match with each other to assemble the best undead warriors you can. Want an undead zombie who also has the body of a robot and the arms of a skeleton archer? You can do that and so much more in Necrosmith.

Perhaps the only thing that’s just a tad disappointing is the actual tower defense component in itself. While the gameplay is perfectly serviceable, we can’t help but feel like the core assembling gameplay would have been better utilized in another genre, like an RPG.

Explore and Adapt

Your quest to upgrade your necromancer tower and assemble the ultimate army of the undead will take you to some quite scenic destinations – each filled to the brim with hostile hordes.

The game features twelve different biomes, each with a specific theme where you can get unique body parts to further customize your units. This is all rendered using a basic 2D sprite art style that, while fun and charming in the character department, leaves a bit to be desired in the overworld segments.

It would have been great to see developers Alawar Premium using a similar art style to one of their previous games, like They Always Run. It would certainly have given the game a more professional look, even if the art style we have now might be even more appealing for some players. It’s all a matter of taste, really.

For what it is, and the insane levels of customization that it allows, we can’t recommend this game enough to players of any skill level. Sure, the user interface might be a bit archaic at times, and the visual style could use a little touch-up, but the core mechanics of the game are solid enough to guarantee you’ll at least have a couple of hours of fun with this odd game.

Pros

• Some genuinely funny moments and characters
• Tons of possible combinations to play with
• Quirky setting with an addictive gameplay loop

Cons

• Graphics might not be to everyone’s liking
• Cumbersome user interface