Who are you? Where are you? Why are you here? These questions and many more are gleefully ignored by Passtech Games. After a brief tutorial it’s a case of ‘here are some weapons, there’s a temple full of monsters and treasure, get on with it’. A bold choice for a roguelike in the post-Hades world, perhaps; and one that provides the first sign that comparisons with Supergiant’s colossus are misleading.
Curse of the Dead Gods takes many cues from traditional action adventure games, and benefits from them enormously. The most obvious one is probably the fact that the game is essentially split into levels. The first temple tier contains three ‘levels’, with three more tiers and a total of seven more levels above that. Each completed level is permanently marked with a satisfying green tick. It’s a sign (along with more levels becoming available) of achievement and progress, which is an important part of player feedback that many roguelikes fumble.
Combat is brilliant, another example of more traditional influences. Though familiarly dependent on stamina points, it has a speed and flow that ensures battling the horrors of the temple is always a joy. They didn’t just put ‘curse’ in the title because it looks cool, either. Each time you pass through a door leading to a new area, you gain 20 corruption. Hit 100, and you gain a random curse, a twist on play that makes things more difficult for you.
This story is from the June 2021 edition of PC Gamer US Edition.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2021 edition of PC Gamer US Edition.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TERMINATOR: RESISTANCE
Revisiting Teyon’s game after Robocop: Rogue City.
RICH'N BEEFY
LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTH is a dizzyingly huge all-you-can-eat Yakuza buffet
ROUND 8 FIGHT!
TEKKEN 8 is a blend of nostalgia for fans and a pair of welcoming arms for newbies
HOLY HELL
THE INQUISITOR is a grim yet strangely gripping dark fantasy adventure
SHOT DEAD
There are flashes of greatness in SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL THE JUSTICE LEAGUE
THE BEST NON-TRADITIONAL WAR GAMES
Is it possible for wargamers to give peace a chance?
WHEELIE GOOD
Freewheeling with Northern Irish indie studio Billy Goat Entertainment and its next project, PARCEL CORPS
PALWORLD
Shockingly, animal cruelty doesn't make for a fulfilling experience
DIVINE FREQUENCY
This horror-RPG-FPS built in the Doom engine is terrifying
AVOWED
Obsidian's next RPG goes all in on first-person action