Ember Knights Review (Kamuo)
Great game with amazing pixel grahpics and tight gameplay. It's not the greatest roguelite, but it could be decent if the game clicks with you. I only played this solo and could see how much more fun co-op would be.
I really enjoyed seeing all the different biomes, but this mostly applies to the first experience. This excitement starts fading as you repeat these levels.
As a roguelike, this definitely can be repetitive. You go through the same levels, and areas start feeling the same with the same enemies. If it had more levels it would cycle through, this would alleviate the experience so much more.
While mechanically the game does offer a deep system, this mostly changes the technical side of gameplay. What kind of effects your attacks have, and how much you heal or get armor. In the end, how you play doesn't actually get mixed up. You're still just dodging, attacking, and using skills while they're off cd.
Unfair comparison, but Binding of Isaac has items that actually change how your attacks function. Like how you can suddenly shoot at the back of your head, or your bullet is now something you're also moving around the map, or you're now floating. These kinds of mechanics actively change how you would play the game.
Despite this, if you're someone just looking for a casual game where you're hacking & slashing, this game could serve you well. The core gameplay is very solid and feels great to play. Just a matter of how fast you'll get bored of repeating the same levels.
The game can feel challenging at the start with your lack of knowledge of the game and the nature of roguelite having persistent upgrades that power you up. There are significant upgrades like increasing the damage you deal to mobs or bosses, being able to revive, or giving your first chosen skill an extra charge. These upgrades could feel like a necessity for higher difficulties.
I beat the game on my 4th run, which means there were plenty of mechanics I haven't even unlocked yet: permanent upgrades to skills and weapons, or some of the more powerful relics. Like the relic that heals you when you crit.
I really enjoyed the campaign experience of beating the game "fully" for the first time. Then I found out you can only fight the true final boss by beating the game with enough difficulty modifiers to be considered "doom" difficulty.
If you're someone who really enjoyed the feel of this game, especially if you're doing co-op, or someone who likes challenges, then this is great news for you. But not everyone seeks challenges when playing a game, as they can still be more annoying than enjoyable.
Remember when I said some persistent upgrades could feel like a necessity? Well, after you beat the game once, it could now feel like a real grind so you can unlock those and get to the base level required to have an enjoyable time on the harder difficulties. Again, if this game really clicks with you, then it's the best thing as it just means more for you to play. The grind wouldn't feel like a grind, as you're just enjoying playing the game over and over.
Beating the game early also adds to that grind feeling. If you had more runs before defeating the first final boss, you'd have unlocked more things already.
Overall, I think the core game itself is really enjoyable, and everyone should give it a try. The roguelike element can feel very subjective, but the campaign experience of beating the game once is worth it because of the game's high quality.