Thanks for the summary! I think I’ll just try to finish my first One Step to Eden run instead of buying this.
One more.
As you can see in the trailer, it tries to differentiate from other games by having different modes, one more classic action platformr, another more roguelike.
Also, they seem to bet on their editor and user created content.
Looks cool. Hope they don’t lean on the editor to the point of not having much in the game itself.
I hope they team up with the Chapmans to get a guest Stinkoman appearance.
Did anyone try RAD?
It’s Double Fine, so you know it’s going to be original enough, but I’m not sure if making good action roguelites is really their forte.
EDIT: WTH is this one?
I played Rad. It’s not bad, but it didn’t really click with me. It felt too repetitive and the difficulty tended to spike.
I recall seeing a tiny bit of this on Twitter but I had no idea it was going to be that wild! Wow.
I picked up Going Under after really enjoying the demo so I’ll report back at some point.
Haha, even the patch notes are pretty wild:
They added some content a pair of weeks ago:
I should check the game.
I wish I took what you wrote to heart. I just bought the Skul and after 3 hours I wish I didn’t.
I agree with what you wrote 100%.
I just wrapped up Going Under (as in, saw the credits, I still have a mode to investigate) and I might be inclined to say I enjoyed it more than Hades overall. Hmm. A few things I love about it:
The theme isn’t just a wrapper; it bleeds into pretty much every aspect of the game, from its structure and concepts, to its enemies, weapons and skills (even the ‘Working From Home’ update is a genius marriage of our current real-life predicament, an in-game scenario and the new mode itself). The writing is very sharp and witty, Aggro Crab-stabbing at capitalism, the tech industry, consumerism, corporate culture, automation, exploitative labour and various other related topics, all with some serious flare, creativity, humour and heart. How it balances all that tonally is very impressive. I thought Atomicrops’ puns and wordplay were good but Going Under’s is nuts.
The gameplay loop isn’t as immediate or addictive as Hades, but that’s fine because holy shit Hades was dangerous. The combat is loose and has more in common with Zelda’s L/Z-targeting and Power Stone’s room-wrecking chaos. Weapons break frequently so you’re constantly having to improvise and grab what you can, thrashing and throwing stuff as you go. It can be absolute carnage, but in the best way.
The big thing for me is the structure and length of Going Under. Each failed tech startup is its own distinctively themed dungeon, with unique enemies, weapons and bosses, and they each take around 30 minutes to complete. As you hit different milestones, the story develops and escalates, new skills get added to the pool, the dungeons and bosses change, all while you’ve got the different mentor objectives to juggle and complete. All these layers keep things interesting and the big finale/showdown is the cherry on top–it’s so good!
It took me about 25 hours to do my first run on Hades and another 25 or so to roll the credits. I’d be lying if I said it maintained its momentum throughout that time. Your last run isn’t that different to your first run. Hades was my game of the year alongside Doom Eternal but I was honestly glad to finally wrap it up. It’s taken me 25 hours to roll the credits on Going Under (your mileage may vary) and I’ve had such a great time from start to finish. There’s variety and plenty of surprises here so I didn’t burn out. I actually finished wanting more, which is the best feeling to end a game with. There’s an ‘Imposter Mode’ which is a gauntlet of sorts so I’m keen to try that out now. ‘Imposter’ as in ‘imposter syndrome’ and you access it via the mirror in your tiny company flat. It’s a very clever game.
The presentation is impeccable too. It’s chunky, bright and bold and the graphic design pops and transitions beautifully. The soundtrack is also fantastic.
So, yeah, I’m a fan and would highly recommend.
Hades, the lesser budget edition
It still could be fun.
Bought this and 2 more games in a bundle on Steam during the sale. I think this is the sign I needed to start this next. Thanks for the writeup.
I was so taken by the demo that I bought the game full price straight away… then the lunar sale hit!
Rogue Heroes
Just tried the demo for this on steam and it’s a lot of fun. Heavy Zelda influence. Lots of metaprogression.
Curse of the Dead Gods looks great and it just dropped out of Early Access, FYI.
@sillhouette has a solid post about it up a bit:
I guess we can put this video for it
I bought this because I’m a fucking ARL junkie, apparently, and after one run I do not in any way regret the purchase. Let’s see how I feel after 50 runs.
Do come back and tell us whether did it obsolete Hades for you.
Quick impressions. Curse is really good so far. The combat is very deliberate. I feel that every hit and every dodge or block should have a purpose or you’ll die really quick.
Much harder for me than Hades for me. In half an hour I got to the first boss in Hades but only made it to the fourth room in Curse.
The game also drips atmosphere. The dark and light mechanics feel really nice and puts a new wrinkle to the combat and exploration.
A few Steam reviews called the combat system “Soul-like”. Is it Soul-like enough to distinguish itself from Hades for you?