Spiritfall

It's almost standard procedure now that every month in the indie gaming world, we'll see hundreds of action roguelike games released with the same copy-paste formula as the more popular titles. Spiritfall has them all; an ethereal storyline, fast-paced combat, and a colorful 2D platformer world ripe for exploring. Do you wonder when players will tire of this constant stream of releases?

However, the argument remains that if the games are good, why fix what's not broken? Spiritfall may offer something slightly original, where the whole experience suddenly becomes a standout. On the surface, it's hard to see, but the game looks pretty! Let's find out if there's any uniqueness behind this seemingly standard action roguelike.

Death is But a Setback

Playing your first level on Spiritfall doesn't do the game much justice that there will be anything extraordinary about the experience. It follows the same formula as the award-winning titles that pique the action roguelike genre. A beautifully-drawn 2D world is full of color, some mysterious narrative, bizarre characters, and a focus on energetic combat enhanced throughout a progression system.

We say that like it's a bad thing; it is not, but it's very much the same and noticeable from the start. So is there anything that makes players become riveted by Spiritfall? The games do attempt a couple of mitigated risks in their mechanic set. The protagonist can leverage failure as powers increase after death, and the game world is procedurally generated.

They are intriguing additions but fail to make a memorable impact on the game. However, the most satisfying element of Spiritfall is the combat. Battles are diverse and fluid and make players feel accomplished, keeping up with the challenging hordes of foes as they progress through the game. Honestly, combat is the only real reason to get involved in the game, where it becomes evident that fighting was the core focus of developers.

Spiritfall has some story moments that'll provide a few chuckles, revelations, and motivation to continue toward your ultimate objectives. But players will be more interested in their combat builds, discovering the best combinations to become the ultimate fighting machine. There's nothing wrong with that, but you'll find that focus becomes bland when you can slaughter everything in your path.

Keeping Standards

As exciting and entertaining as the combat is in Spiritfall, you can't shake the feeling that the game feels pretty standard. The whole ethereal theme, 2D platforming gameplay, and distant narrative spawn from the ever-popular Hollow Knight, leading players to believe that an almost identical influence was drawn from the title.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Fast, fluid combat
• A progression system that allows creativity
• The diverse, procedurally-generated game world

Cons:

• Much the same as other action roguelikes
• The narrative doesn't spark any intrigue
• Concerns that the game becomes too easy