PlayStation 4, Change, PC, Mac, iOS
Upon beginning my first sport of Roundguard, I couldn’t escape a way of shock that this hasn’t been finished earlier than. At first look, Roundguard appears like a replica of the massively well-liked Peggle, however with a fantasy theme. Which may have been sufficient to propel Wonderbelly’s debut to success, but it surely’s the combination of roguelike components that propels this new mission into its personal orbit, reworking what may have been a shameless knock-off right into a easy however rewarding sport with an id all its personal.
Gamers management a rotund warrior, rogue, or wizard as they descend into the dungeons beneath a fort. On every flip, you launch your intrepid adventurer right into a subject of monsters, gold pots, and potions, then watch as your character bounces and rebounds from one finish of the stage to the opposite. Alongside the way in which, you deploy spells and abilities that alter trajectory, harm baddies, and increase your beneficial properties. Due to the various abilities of every class, a wholesome stability emerges between the unpredictable careening of your character and if you select to activate talents. Like in Peggle, there’s one thing deeply satisfying concerning the Pachinko-style descent by a stage, watching with anticipation to chart a path to the underside.
I get pleasure from all three lessons; Wonderbelly has finished a superb job emulating basic RPG archetypes, from the wizard’s screen-nuking lightning bolts to the rogue’s versatile double leap. I spent most of my playtime going backwards and forwards on my favourite, which is an indication of robust stability. Three lessons at launch feels good however not nice; and not using a broader number of heroes, it’s straightforward for the selection to develop stale. As it’s, I felt like I’d seen a lot of what every possibility needed to supply after just a few hours of play.
Fortunately, roguelike components lend further replayability. The format of levels and the interconnected map between them modifications every time, so that you’re hardly ever left with the sense that you just’ve witnessed the very same playthrough earlier than. On every run, you additionally gather and equip numerous weapons and armor items that intensify a given playstyle. That’s a enjoyable addition, however it’s typically disheartening when random gear drops maintain you again from success as a result of they don’t jive effectively along with your talents. With out broader flexibility to gather and maintain objects to equip at my leisure, it’s laborious to achieve an optimized construct. Being pressured to toss an merchandise early in a run (solely to want for it again three levels later) typically left me pissed off.
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Stackable trinkets haven’t any restrict, which is a enjoyable method of constructing energy over the course of a playthrough. You’re assigned a random trinket at the beginning of a run, which you acquired on the finish of your final. That’s a wise incentive for continued play, however with none alternative for that trinket, it typically appears like a meaningless gesture, with a bonus that doesn’t assist your most popular playstyle.
In the meantime, relics supply an extended type of engagement for devoted gamers. Acquired for finishing a full run, you possibly can solely grasp them by finishing a second run with the relic outfitted. The usually difficult modifications supplied by these relics might be combined and matched for any given run, altering the move for knowledgeable gamers, and additional extending the lifetime of the sport. I had a whole lot of enjoyable making an attempt to eke out a win with difficult relic combos in impact.
Roundguard is charming and interesting, each in prolonged sit-down performs and in shorter intermittent play periods. Foolish characters and nemeses draw closely on established fantasy tropes, and strike the proper tone for the sunshine nature of play. Peggle veterans who’ve longed for a sequel ought to undoubtedly play this clear homage. However even newcomers to this type of bouncy-ball enjoyable will discover quite a bit to smile about on this pleasant dungeon descent.
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Rating: 8
Abstract: Wonderbelly riffs off Peggle and rogue-like dungeon crawlers, and manages to search out among the most addictive components of each.
Idea: Borrow liberally from Peggle and roguelike dungeon crawlers to create a whimsical hybrid
Graphics: Cartoonish heroes and monsters maintain the tone affable and light-weight
Sound: Jaunty and inoffensive tunes appear to immediately reference the instrumentation and magnificence of Peggle
Playability: With a wholesome stability between luck and good shot placement, the controls are instantly accessible and enjoyable to study
Leisure: Cutesy and intelligent, this repeatable journey captures lots of the addictive qualities that made its inspirations into phenomena
Replay: Reasonably Excessive
