Rogue Legacy is an addictive action platformer that mixes in interesting roguelike gameplay. The title features a procedurally generated castle and gives players the ability to pick one of three random and unique characters. Death is an important part of the game. The main objective is to fight monsters inside a changing castle until you are killed. However, the journey does not end there. A descendant takes your place and fights in your stead. The cycle continues every time you die. All upgrades carry over so the more you play, the stronger you become.
Each descendent has a random class, spells and traits. There are many classes like the barbarian or mage but others that gain more gold or health are also available. The most important part of the game are traits as they significantly change gameplay. While most traits do not have any impact other than changing some animations, mutations like dwarfism makes the character about half the size of a normal one. This allows you to get into secret areas. Picking the right trait is the key to success.
You can complete Rogue Legacy by killing the game’s five bosses. You have to go through four distinct areas that feature different types of enemies to do so. While some new enemies are introduced in each area, most of them are just tougher versions of enemies you have already encountered. Fighting them can get a little annoying. I would have liked to fight completely different enemies to maintain that sense of uncertainty. Another oddity I noticed was how the bosses are just tougher versions of old enemies. The developers could have made them unique.
The title has a lot of replayability because there are a multitude of secrets to discover within the castle walls. You will have to go through the game multiple times to experience them all. Not only that, but there are also a lot of upgrades to acquire in the skill tree. You can also talk to artisans and change your gear depending on your build. I could go on and on. Rogue Legacy will keep you glued to your television for hours. Even when you beat the game, you can go back and play the new game plus mode.
Something to note is that death is permanent in the game. You will have to start from the beginning each time you die. Make sure to collect as much gold as you can before getting killed so you can upgrade your skills faster. Gold is also used to unlock new classes and upgrade existing classes with new abilities. In my opinion, it is by far the most important item in the game.
You can also acquire weapons with special abilities. Some of the items have life steal or other perks attached to them. However, there is also a penalty for using these objects as your life might be decreased after equipping a weapon with life steal. The game is all about figuring out what works best for you. Experiment with a variety of options until you find one that works and makes combat easier.
Runes also play a major part in the game and can be found throughout the castle. They grant you abilities like jumping, dashing, flying and returning damage. A number of runes can be equipped at once and the abilities also stack on one another. For example, if you have five runes equipped that all return damage, you will probably see that a lot of enemies die instantaneously after hitting you. The ability to customize your character in any way you desire is truly a great feature of the title. It adds to replayability and keeps you coming back for more.
I did not talk about the game’s graphics until now because they are not what modern console gamers will be expecting. Everything nowadays is about how many polygons a character has. This obsession takes away from appreciating other styles of art in my opinion. I think the pixelated look suits the game and avoids unnecessary distractions. You have to dodge and be agile during combat. The pixelated yet clear look suits the gameplay. I absolutely love it. Plus, the gets-stuck-in-your-head music adds to the title’s charm.
Overall, Rogue Legacy is an amazing game that you should look at. If you are a fan of platformers and games like Super Meat Boy and Volgarr the Viking, give this one a shot. For the many hours of gameplay it offers, it is a great deal at its price. My only real complaint is that the enemy variety is lacking but other than that, everything about it is so much fun. You will definitely love it.
Xian was a regular ICXM contributor between 2015–2017, publishing 162 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative.