Loot River review – dungeons like Tetris

In a word, the Slovak river Lut could be described – and many call it – a hybrid of Dark Souls and Tetris. But that would be a very simplistic comparison that also overwhelms the most basic game mechanics. In fact, permanent death and the ruthlessness associated with it, so characteristic of the rogue-like genre, to which Loot River clearly belongs. Do the non-traditional elements make the game so special that it doesn’t fit in with a number of games betting on an increasingly popular genre?

• Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X (peer-reviewed) and S
• Publication date: 3. 5. 2022
• Developer: straka.studio
• Genre: Action role-playing, roguelike
• Czech/Slovak localization: Not
• Multiplayer: Not
• Data to download: 3 GB
• Game time: 15+ hours
• Price: 299 CZK (Xbox), game available on Game Pass subscription service.

What makes Loot River like Dark Souls and what doesn’t?

Loot River is not so much reminiscent of the famous FromSoftware series or gameplay, but the world, atmosphere and way of storytelling. We are going to a gloomy fantasy world, which at first does not tell anything about itself. Several characters that you will meet along the way are not very eloquent. The experience is strictly intimate, and the player must read all context from context, equipment labels, or random NPC speeches.

As for the relevant characteristics fromovka we may add, this is a high complexity. The game really does not forgive anything and every mistake, every hesitation can come out. However, the overall concept of the game doesn’t have much in common with a souls-like system, and even a duel could be described as a relentless hack-n-slash.

The better you are, the more you risk, and the more it pays off.

Loot River is a pretty classic roguelike game. Essentially, each run ends in death, which brings the player back to the so-called Sanctuary, from where the whole expedition starts anew, from scratch. However, the game has a very well thought out progression system, where you progress further and further, and it rarely happens that you get stuck in any of the locations.

The game is primarily based on the premise that the player naturally improves. This happens logically and is well complemented by the ability to give up part of your healing potions at the beginning of the level in exchange for double the next time you visit. Sanctuary, which you will visit during individual races. The better you are, the more risk you take, and the more it pays off later.

AT Sanctuary You can also pay for a special currency called knowledge buy weapons or equipment, which will then appear in the menu of merchants or drop out of killed enemies. This is a permanent element through which you organically expand and improve the available loot. In addition, each improvement is recognizable.

However, it should be said that while the name of the game may suggest otherwise, the game does not exaggerate with loot. Dealers always offer only one thing, and when you find new equipment, you always have to choose whether to replace it with your existing one. You don’t carry anything with you, you leave behind unused things, so no raking in your inventory awaits you. But it does not hurt to realize that you will lose all your equipment in a matter of minutes.

Three types of attacks, block and roll

The combat system is very simple in nature. The main character has a light and heavy attack, after charging, he also has a special attack, sometimes some additional magical ability is attached to the weapon. You can also block and reflect attacks, and last but not least, you can use a very fast dodge, which is more like a short dash or a teleport.

You will be surprised, but a duel tied to a few buttons is enough. This is mainly due to the enemies, which are quite diverse and picky. Each has its own moves and forces the player to use different tactics. For example, when the enemy releases clouds of gas, you should stay away from him, and he, on the contrary, shoots laser beams, it is worth getting to his body as quickly as possible. Enemies with a shield only have to repel the attack and open their defenses, while the rest just need to jump out from under the falling ax and deliver several deadly blows from the side.

Boss inconsistency undermines the smoothness of the game.

Bossfights are a separate chapter. Even the bosses are different, but that’s not always a good thing. Some are suspiciously easy to defeat, others will not give you the slightest stumbling block, others are unlikely to threaten you, but they stamping you will waste very long minutes. This can be annoying at times, and even if the bosses are inventive, their inconsistency undermines smooth gameplay. Twice if you need to repeat the lengthy duel at some point in each playthrough.

Unique Dungeons – Fantasy Tetris

The main attraction of the game, which distinguishes it from other similar rogue-like acts, are moving platforms on randomly generated levels. First of all, it is necessary to put randomness in perspective. Dungeons in general have a fixed structure. You will always move in the same direction on the map, and you will also hit the same parts every time. Individual platforms are then randomly distributed, with which you can navigate using the right analog stick on the controller.

The platform system has a double meaning. One is known in combat. Blocking movement can be used to time an attack, and you can also let enemies get close to you gradually or completely move away from them. But keep in mind that if you just run through the location and do not gain enough experience, know that hell awaits you in the next one.

But there is also the famous Tetris. Randomly stacked platforms form a kind of puzzle. Usually nothing complicated, usually you will move very smoothly, because the movement of the blocks will quickly get into your blood. In other cases, however, it takes a little thought, and on several occasions it occurred to me that I was concerned about progress in the environment. But nice, unlike the boss fights above, because I knew I was failing me, not the game.

The movement of the platforms then accentuates the graphics and animation of the title river, which is literally breathtaking and contrasts interestingly with other – also very beautiful – pixel art. This is helped by a high-quality sound system, and pleasant music, which to some extent is such a classic rogue-like dough, but even after many hours it does not bother.

It helps and hurts

Obviously Loot River is a ruthless experience. The complexity is very high and the significant savings of the authors from straka.studio on abbreviations and simplifications does not help. But we will find one. In the accessibility menu, it is possible to enable the so-called. easy modewhich reduces the health and strength of the enemy. While this won’t make the game casual, I can imagine that players who don’t indulge in their own suffering still enjoy pressing the button.

But the name can also do a lot of damage due to its technical side. I don’t want to be too strict since I tested most of the game before it was released. first day patches, but even after a relatively short time after it, I came across bugs that frustrated (or completely interrupted) even well-adjusted attempts. In that regard, Holt will want to take care of Loot River a little more.

Loot River is a memorable game that deserves praise.

I also regret that although it comes from Slovakia, the game does not contain Slovak (and logically not Czech) localization. This will definitely not spoil the experience for players who speak some of the included foreign languages, and those who, for example, do not speak the required English, will certainly be able to enjoy the game. But precisely because the game has relatively little text, it could have happened with Slovak.

In the end, however, Loot River Remembering is a worthy title, deserving more praise than meticulous criticism. The game is good because it was created in the hands of a small independent studio and the authors went for a bargain price, including the inclusion of their rogue-like action in Game Pass.