My ongoing grumble with roguelikes is progression. I love the struggle, but I like to see my blood, sweat ‘n tears leave a lasting stain on the pavement. It motivates me to try harder, knowing that it wasn’t all in vain. I understand others dig the randomized angle more, starting tabula rasa and dragging themselves through like crawling on broken glass. However that pain has to be worth it for me, to have a pay-off for how my character is now simply a broken bloody bag of bones.
So when I heard of Immortal Redneck, I wasn’t sure as it is a FPS roguelike. Then I dug a little deeper, and found it had a progression system based on how much currency you reap, spent on a skill tree (akin to Rogue Legacy). “Sweet, maybe I’ll check it out as a preview.” I then watched the trailer, in all its redneck insanity, and saw claims like “over 50 weapons”, and that’s when I knew I had to pry deeper. So I got an interview with CEO and Co-Founder of Crema, Enrique Panos, which you can find just below.
Fortunately up close the charisma of “redneck invasion of Egyptian tombs” stands like a fortification. This mainly presents itself with the weapons, and if they’re boasting 50 weapons then I can buy that. Sure some are a little anti-climatic (a wooden gun that functions like a slow-acting 9mm …eh), but others get pretty daft, like a potato launcher. As I said, I also dig the progression they have going on, which partially rears its head via their class system (i.e. which god you pray to for weapons and abilities).
My main criticism, based on a casual 5 minute preview and interview, is how the pyramids are laid out. Some people are really bad at games (e.g. me), so having three pyramids could present as a difficulty choice. Instead, they more function as levels to be completed one after another. While not a deal-breaker, it feels like a missed opportunity for a difficulty option to be cooked into the game which could have lent greater accessibility to scrubs like me and masochistic folk who dig harder difficulties.
Overall, I generally had a good time with the punt I had. While the charisma was solid, it was the mechanics that made me question “is this something I could keep going an hour later?”. However, I believe that’s rooted in personal preference than a significant noticeable issue. Although the reviews coming soon with the release will likely give Immortal Redneck a more thorough examination.
You can find Immortal Redneck out on 25th April 2017 on Steam.
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