Jupiter Hell
*** UPDATED 1.0 REVIEW ***
Jupiter Hell is fuckin' awesome. This is the best turn-based, combat-focused game since XCOM 2. Don’t get me wrong – the game plays totally differently, but fans of XCOM will be right at home. In many ways, I prefer Jupiter Hell – it’s got a straight-forward, blood and guts approach that makes it super fun and easy to pick up. The base mechanics are simple yet deep. It’s definitely going to kick your ass though, and thanks to it I’ve cursed at my monitor at 3AM far more than my neighbors would like. Yet, it’s extremely approachable and the second you die you just want to play more to see what sort of a cool class you can build out this time, what crazy weapon you’ll find or what dumbass way you’ll die next (my favorite was when I got a perk that set enemies near to me on fire – something that paired poorly with explosive barrels).
– Real player with 305.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Strategy Indie Games.
This was a tough review to do, probably my hardest one. I do ultimately recommend this game! Despite the Cons I list, it’s FUN and replay-able when you put some hours into it.
Jupiter Hell is 80% towards being a total gem of a game. The other 20% can be an issue.
I have 3 small cons, and 1 major one. If these are addressed, this game would be worth $50 even. Yes, twice the price. As it sits, the game is worth $25 but perhaps just that.
PROS:
1. It does accomplish the DOOM feel, with the music, the voice lines, the UI, and the monsters you fight. This is the strong point of Jupiter Hell. The graphics are great, and many of the weapons feel satisfying to use once you learn how they work. If you are looking for the experience of DOOM but in a new style setting (top down, turn based, non FPS), this game is it.
– Real player with 56.2 hrs in game
Insurmountable
IN A WORD: COMPELLING
IN A NUTSHELL:
WHAT TO EXPECT: Adventure rogue-like. Turn-based strategy. Hex-tiled maps. Graphically beautiful. Layers of themed mechanics. Ironman style saving. Challenging gameplay. Permadeath. Singleplayer only.
ACHIEVEMENTS: NOT EASY OR QUICK TO GAIN.
STATUS: COMPLETE. CURRENTLY SUPPORTED
WHEN TO BUY: FOR A DIFFERENT TACTICAL CHALLENGE.
More info below….
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2519624284
– Real player with 26.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Strategy Indie Games.
Insurmountable is a good foundation for a potentially very chill roguelite. Its slow pacing means it compares more readily to autobattlers like Loop Hero than to action roguelites like RoR or Hades. It’s a good time if you fire up a podcast and get climbing.
I bought this game after watching a bit of a playthrough on YouTube. I watched it at 2x speed with no problem. The game absolutely should at least have the option to go faster. The current speed options are either “intolerably slow” or “slow.”
– Real player with 10.4 hrs in game
Dungeon of the ENDLESS™
“Roguelike.”
The word alone calls to mind so many gaming archetypes and settings as to be an almost irrelevant descriptor, and yet we all know the basis of the procedurally generated game with randomized elements.
“Tower Defense.”
Again, a genre so permeated with varying degrees of micro-management and strategy archetypes that the picture in each person’s mind could almost be a different game.
DotE is an amazing offering in that it takes both of these genres and combines them in a way that makes a single player experience on a short campaign almost a multiplayer game… and turns a multiplayer game into a uniquely individual experience even for a group of four players working together. Or not working together - because this game can be both of those things, as well as several degrees of in-between.
– Real player with 158.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Strategy Tower Defense Games.
Seamless genre-blend
In Dungeon of the Endless, a game best described as a tower defense, dungeon crawler roguelike with RPG elements, every bit of the genre-blend is as highlighted as the next, while still finding room to deliver exposition and lore, adding an additional layer of mystery to the experience, without ever feeling overbearing.
As the story goes, Success, a prison barge, is shot down while on route to the planet of Auriga, the epicenter of many events in Amplitude Studios’ Endless universe. A number of crew members manage to escape in drop pods, but upon crash landing find themselves trapped within an underground complex from which they must escape.
– Real player with 85.2 hrs in game
Steam Marines
In a nutshell, Steam Marines is a turn based roguelike that puts you in command of a squad of four marines abruptly awoken out of cryostasis to deal with an unexpected assault on a steampunk spaceship. These fellas shoot robots and aliens, tear their spaceship up and of course gain useful experience from those educational activities. Their objective? To advance to the elevators that will take them deeper into the ship -because they’re ordered to, no questions asked.
Squad creation and developement
– Real player with 35.6 hrs in game
Review for early access version:
As someone who frequently gets suckered into convinced to buy early access games, I was incredibly impressed with Steam Marines. This game feels like playing a full fledged game and while if you look closely you can spot the rough edges, it generally doesn’t affect gameplay. Even better than that though is the fact that the developer is constantly active with the community working to fix any issues that crop up and discussing future implementations. As a personal example, I reported a minor bug that I noticed. He responded within 3 hours saying not only had he found the problem, but he also fixed it. If every early access developer put this kind of effort in, it wouldn’t be nearly the crapshoot it currently is when buying early access games. If you want proof of developer involvement just look at the forums for this game, he is constantly posting.
– Real player with 30.6 hrs in game
Dark Stone: The Lightseeker
Even though the early game may be boring, the game allow for in-depth strategy and planning, with gradual unlocks over time which allows for you to plan ahead with better starting teams and permits for you to build larger teams during the runs, while also increasing the maximum difficulty with each complete run.
– Real player with 40.1 hrs in game
I got the opportunity to play this throughout the beta recently. I was new to the deck building genre, but not roguelikes, and have thoroughly enjoyed the game. It is certainly plenty difficult for me and Jinny has been incredibly receptive to feedback on balance and UI/UX changes. The English localization is still a work in progress, but its not bad by any means.
Definitely recommend if you enjoy the genre.
– Real player with 17.2 hrs in game
Dungeons of Voidria
Dream Quest, Desktop Dungeons, Slay the Spire - if you like those you’ll probably enjoy this game! I’m loving it so far.
As of this review there’s plenty of bugs but nothing that ruined the game. If that bothers you perhaps wait a bit.
– Real player with 25.0 hrs in game
Even in EA, it’s already fun. The mechanics of the skills and spells are an interesting mashup. I’m really looking forward to seeing where this game goes and am happy to support now.
– Real player with 10.1 hrs in game
Evertried
I’m not actually the biggest fan of Roguelike games, but Evertried convinced me not only by being very pretty, but also really giving this “Just one more try!” feeling a new meaning!
Also the game has relatively little RNG, so 90% of the deaths happening actually are the player’s fault. Something I hate and love at the same time! Being able to either try to go as fast as you can or take your time and think your moves through is a great thing, allowing everyone to learn in their own speed. And the feeling of killing an enemy or clearing a floor that previously gave me troubles for the first time is amazing!
– Real player with 39.0 hrs in game
UPDATE : 3 times in a row my “hard mode” run ends after 40 min on some kind of “NullPointerException”. The game is just not tested enough, wait a few months until the game is tested and all bugs are fixed : https://steamcommunity.com/app/1607040/discussions/0/3158706376169597835/
If you like “Into The Breach (ITB)” (best strategy game in 2018), you will like Evertried for sure. Most ITB mechanics are here with a light touch of Roguelite. The additional mechanics are not really useful (at least in normal mode), but they don’t prevent you to play, so it’s all good.
– Real player with 31.7 hrs in game
FORWARD: Escape the Fold
FORWARD: Escape the Fold was created to be the perfect bitesized roguelike dungeon crawler. Choose your champion and face a relentless crawl through the card-based dungeons, collect items to power your abilities and defeat the gruesome monsters facing you. But keep going FORWARD!
FEATURES
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Unique Progression System: Make your way through the dungeons by choosing a path from 3 cards at every turn but choose wisely! One bad decision can lead you to the graveyard. Select the next card which will help you get one step closer to redemption!
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High Energy Roguelike: You will need to make decisions at every step of the way. Crawl one card at a time and combine objects found in chests, markets and at the end of each dungeon to bolster your character’s abilities. Beware of the cursed items and their devastating effects!
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Just One More Turn: In the Fold, you will never feel prepared. Designed for replayability, each ascent is original and will feel fresh and challenging even to the most experienced player. Use your instincts and knowledge of your champion to fight away the gruelling beasts that populate the underworld.
WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER IN THE FOLD
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9 Champions to unlock with unique powers and backstories. Learn more about this mysterious underworld and understand what brought these enigmatic champions there. Additionally, master their powers as they will alter radically your ascent and your playstyle.
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100+ fully detailed item-cards to discover.
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Leaderboards for the most powerful players. Easier said than done to be up there.
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Fast-paced gameplay enabled by the one-input gameplay. Keeps the game dynamic at all times.
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Gorgeous 2D pixel-art.
ABOUT TWO TINY DICE
Two Tiny Dice is the result of Christophe Coyard’s journey through indie development. He is the solo-developer of FORWARD: Escape the Fold and has previously worked on various small mobile games with the aim of developing his game design skills. Driven by passion, Christophe Coyard built this game from scratch for a 2019 GameJam and has since then worked hard to develop the ultimate bitesized roguelike game.
You can follow him on Twitter @twotinydice !
Karvan
A gigantic tree grew a few years ago, many are exploring it and exploiting the incredible resources that grow there, be the first to send a caravan all the way up, or die trying.
To do so, send a caravan with some troops to escort it and start ascending.
You travel the day and the night the resources appear. But the night, enemies will also attack you. And there are mercyless
Prepare your troops, place some defenses and when the fight start make your choice: protect your wagons or take risk and collect more resources.
If you survive long enough, you’ll reach a town. Yes you’re still in a tree and yes it’s big enough to fit a town, 7 towns to be precise.
In this towns you also need to do choices, continue and take more risk and resources or climb down and save your resources to build a camp that grants permanent bonus and try a new ascent with better stuff.
Karvan is a tactical roguelite game. The path to reach the top is generate procedurally as well as the hexagonal maps where you’ll fight every night for your life and for the glory.
Build your Camp
With the resources you collect in the tree you can upgrade your miserable camp into something more awesome and useful.
To reach the top, upgrading is mandatory. The upgrade are various and each one is represented by a new building, you’ll see your camp grow, from a little tent to a gorgeous castle.
Prepare the Ascent
At the start of each ascent, you’ll choose which wagons and weapons to take.
With the right upgrade in the camp you’ll access to better wagons, more troops and better weapons.
Prepare the Fight
After the travel during the day you’ll have to install your defense and place your troops. You’ll discovers the map as there are generate procedurally. Use the torchs to see further, the barricades to block annoying path that enemies could use.
Then choose the troops you want to fight and equip them with the weapon you’ve aquired.
Survive the Night
During the night, you can collect the resources needed to upgrade your camp. But a troop that collect is a troop that not fight.
If a wagon is destroyed or if all the soldiers of a troops is killed it’s lost for the rest of the ascent.
Manage your troops in real time, use their capacity, move them around and try to kill the more ennemies you can before they submerge you by their number.
Bless the Town
If you last enough night eventually you’ll reach a town. You can replenish your caravan and continue or abandon the ascent and keep your resources
In town you can buy mercenaries troops, sell and buy weapons, repare the wagons and pay a taxe to use an elevator to start the next ascents in the current town
Undergrave
About Undergrave
After losting your loved one, you decide to bring her back by going to the depths of the Void Realm and completing the Trial of Ressurection. From the creators of Red Ronin, every try will challenge the player with a new adventure.
KEY FEATURES
Your character has 3 distinct abilities, each one being necessary for a successful run, however every one of them consumes your stamina that recovers with turns so use them wisely.
– DASH –
Cut through the enemies in a straight line dealing damage on them if you have your sword or dodging through them if you have no sword
– JUMP –
Jump from a square to another, dealing stun effect on the enemies around if you have your sword or only pushing them if you have no sword.
– THROW –
Throw your sword on an enemy dealing damage. The movements cost less Stamina when you are unarmed. You can catch your sword back mid dash or on a jump killing some enemies using less Stamina.
– PERFECT YOUR STRATEGY –
Combine your abilities to oversmart the enemies and find the best move for every turn.