Finally got around to playing this game. Yeah, it's good and I guess I'm enjoying myself overall, butβ¦I don't know. There's just something about roguelikes that bug me on a fundamental level.
So the general idea of them, based on my experience with this game and Dead Cells, is that you have to play through a series of levels all in go and if you die even once you have to start over from the beginning. But the thing is, regardless of how brief all those levels together might be, it just feels like a massive kick in the balls.
Yeah, I know. That's the point. You're supposed to die over and over and get a little stronger each time. And gods know, to this game's credit, it does everything in its power to make it not feel like a kick in the balls (you get new dialogue and sometimes story developments each time you die, you unlock new powers and weapons, etc.) But...I don't see why it has to.
It's like they've created a game design that inherently sucks and now they're doing everything they can to make it not suck so much. In any other game you complete one section of the game and move on to the next one. That's it. You don't have to replay the prior sections, because you've already proven you can beat them. And despite the randomized chambers, it's still frustrating because I know the overall experience of the previous levels are still going to be the same. It's still the same enemies and still the same basic level design.
"Yeah, but isn't it so rewarding when you get a little further each time?"
I mean...I guess? But at the same time I know I'm only getting further because the game is marginally improving my abilities each time I play it, and because of my luck in getting good boons and health increases (and yes, my skill increasing by playing the game more). But why do we have to go through all this rigmarole? Why can't you just give me everything I need to beat the game right off the bat?
It feels like such a time sink, because it's like the game is saying "Okay, before you beat this game, you need to spend x amount of hours, depending on your skill and luck, grinding and replaying the stages and then you can actually beat it".
But I guess a lot of people like it. And if you do, more power to you. I guess it's no more a waste of time than any other game. But to me, it just feels like this game and roguelikes in general are trying to fix what isn't broken.