Early stages soon lose any real sense of surprise, and later ones can feel low on real agency.
I want a new roguelike run to feel vital and verdant; heady with grand plans and plan-shattering twists.
One of these parts is a talking ferret named Koppa, bless him.
Mostly, though, youll be braving that mountain, one tile at a time.
Shiren heals one HP for each tile, but also drains a hunger meter.
If youre hit by a fireball, any onigiri youre holding will grill, boosting its effects.
How can you plan for this?
Well, you cant.
Like basically everything interesting here, it just happens sometimes.
But really, everything interesting or notable about combat encounters here stems from your inventory.
A shot from a paralysing staff might leave a rotund cat unable to act for several turns.
There are more esoteric effects, too.
An empathy spell that returns damage to sender.
Again: these are all random pick-ups.
Emergent gameplay is great.
Its better than great.
Its one of gamings greatest joys.
But it needs to be framed by agency, planning and decision making.
When youre making discoveries, its incredibly absorbing.
When youre putting those discoveries into effect for the fifteenth time, it feels like a rote grind.
Aside from monsters, dungeon floors also hide traps and secrets.
Or, you might just get bonked halfway across the floor by a giant spring.
it’s possible for you to request three rescues per run.
This can be online - see above.
Or, you’re free to rescue yourself by progressing to the spot when you died.
Perhaps thats the sticking point for me, having to deal with untameable chaos lurking underneath such inviting presentation.
Perhaps I should let go and allow the winds of fate to carry me.
