“Delver”, a roguelike dungeon crawler, has recently made its way onto Steam’s “Early Access” page with a bang. It features a perma-death system for those of you who love being penalized for making mistakes, but manages to maintain a certain charm via pixelated graphics. While there are plenty of games that contain said features (Minecraft, etc.), this one ended up being just as much of a time sink. Before I quickly cover the current state of the game, I’d like to quickly thank Chad Cuddigan (developer and publisher) for providing me with a free press copy. It’s important to note that because this game is still under developement, that the content featured in this article is subject to change.
Delver (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android)
In “Delver”, you’ll take on the role of an adventurer who must transverse a dungeon in order to acquire the Yithidian orb and bring it back to the surface. Don’t ask me what it does, perhaps it’ll help cure male pattern baldness. At any rate, there are plenty of bad guys just itching to ruin your day and it’ll take every last bit of your resolve to wade through them and complete your mission. The farther you “delve” into the dungeon, the harder things will get. Trust me, it won’t be easy.
The game’s interface is fairly easy to understand. The player will have access to most of everything they’ll need along the top of the screen. On the left, players will be able to track their progress via a mini-map. On the right, there’s a loot bag icon that lets players access their inventory. Finally, you have a skill bar along the top where you can assign different weapons and items to number keys. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done without needlessly overcomplicating things.
As for the gameplay itself, the player will have to deal with a randomized dungeon each and every time. This means that you won’t be able to memorize enemy locations and predict how things will play out. No, you’ll be relying on skill and the ability to react quickly to threats as they appear. The player will have both melee and ranged weapons at their disposal, though most ranged weapons have a set number of charges before they can’t be used anymore.
What would a dungeon be without a spooky library?
Currently, the game is finished enough to where it can be played through and through. However, there are new and exciting features that are planning to make their way into the game. Character classes and a character sheet, for example, are a planned features that I must admit would add a ton of replayability to the game. I personally would like to see warrior, ranger, wizard, and healer classes introduced. While I was unable to find any confirmation of multiplayer, my research shows that it’s something that a lot of people want. One can only hope that time and budgets will allow for it, especially once the character classes get streamlined into the game.
It’s too early in the game to make any sort of final judgement, but I am enjoying my experiences thus far. It already has a lot of potential and replay value, so I’m anxious to see what other features get added to the game as time progresses. The current buy-in to the Beta is $7.99, which is of fairly good value all things considered. Some of you youngins might take issue with the graphics, but it’s certainly something us older folk (AKA retro gamers) can appreciate. It’s certainly worth checking out of you enjoy loot hoarding and slaying tons of bad guys.
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You can learn more about and purchase into the Beta by visiting the following websites:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/249630/
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXGx5YW9dls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjcKth5G9bk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3u-CQDpBSQ