Review – Rogue Spirit

Courtesy of the folks at 505 Games and developers Kids With Sticks, I’ve been spending some time with their early-access 3D roguelike adventure, Rogue Spirit. I’ve been spending some hours with this one, to bring you our usual Pixel Bandits’ review and common-sense parent’s guide. Find our video review just below, or read on for our full extended review below.

The Basics

Rogue Spirit is currently available through Steam’s Early Access programme, and it’s estimated that it will be another 7 months until full launch. Kids With Sticks have said that roughly 50-60% of the title has been implemented so far, and while there’s some way to go until the title is complete, there’s a fair bit to be getting on with even now.

In Rogue Spirit, you play as the previously-deceased Prince of the Kingdom of Midra. Brought back to life by the monks of the Forgotten Monastery. Fighting through the villages, forests and marshes of your kingdom, you’ll need to save the citizens of your land from the forces of chaos.

The gameplay in Rogue Spirit will be fairly familiar to anybody who’s spent time with roguelike titles such as Everspace or Dead Cells. You’ll fight through six currently included levels, upgrading a number of essences and skills as you go. Dying is a big part of the title, and you’ll aim to get a little further on each playthrough as you leave the Forgotten Monastery to travel through the various areas of the kingdom.

There are a couple of elements which work together to make Rogue Spirit stand out even here in early access. Firstly, while very used to 2D platforming roguelikes the 3D setting while not entirely unique does give it a slight edge. Mostly, however, this one stands out through the possession-based gameplay.

Playing as the Prince’s ghost, you’ll need to possess various enemies along your way, allowing you to enter combat. There are nine different characters currently implemented, and Kids With Sticks aim to increase this to 20 by the time the title fully releases. Each character has their own unique primary and secondary attacks and statistics, and exact stats are randomised for each of the NPCs you’ll fight, and potentially take control of.

Parent’s Eye View

Rogue Spirit is currently pending certification and hasn’t been officially rated by either PEGI or the ESRB. The title is based on combat, of course, and so violence does play a part. However, with a lack of bloody gore, bad language or online play, it’s one which I wouldn’t have a huge issue playing in front of our micro-bandits.

As the title is currently within early access, we’re not putting a family friendly stamp on this just yet. And it is worth bearing in mind that everything in the title is subject to change before full release.

Accessibility

Rogue Spirit is a tough slog, and I’ve found it dauntingly difficult at times, especially early on. With the roguelike nature of the title, dying is a big part of the title, but it’s certainly one for those who are looking for a challenge rather than an easy-going story adventure.

The Run Down

To reiterate, it’s important to remember of course that this is currently in early access, and as such I’m leaving off the official scoring at this time, with the expectation that there will be a number of changes throughout.

The anime-inspired visuals are pretty and suit the setting pretty well. There could be some improvements here, and it’s expected that there will be a little graphical polish here and there before launch. Again another solid effort when it comes to audio as well, and pretty much as I would expect from an Early Access game before final polishing. Some of the noise effects can get a little repetitive in battle but overall decent audio throughout.

I’m expecting a little more to be added in terms of narrative, especially in terms of backstory, as the title moves through development, but there’s a decent narrative in the title. As a Roguelike you really have to have good replay value, and there’s already some solid progress here even in the half-finished state. As well as replaying naturally over time and clawing those inches forward, Rogue Spirit also provides challenges and I expect will progress even further over time.

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The Verdict

Again, we’re holding off on official scores while in Early Access, but overall I’d say this is worth a look for those who are fans of roguelikes, who fancy some hack and slash gameplay with a twist. The constantly changing play styles provided by switching between possessed enemies adds a good amount of variation, and with a nice art style and continuing evolution, it’s at least one to keep your eye on if you’re not jumping in right now.