For some time now there difficulties has returned to being not only a central element in the approach of the average player, but also one commercial tool with which to attract new enthusiasts or simply consumers. Having to face a challenge, perhaps apparently insurmountable, or in any case one that manages to put a strain on, therefore remains an attraction that, on the one hand, contributes to the construction of an interaction requiring commitment and attention, and on the other, however, could even preclude all the possibilities for fun, to those who instead approach the playful means with lighter and perhaps even relaxing intentionality. The knowing how to dose the situation, therefore, is nowadays fundamental in the construction of the various experiences that are going to be acquired, especially when the repetitiveness under some circumstances it could grout very quickly or lead to frustration personal. With Curse of the Dead Gods, developed by Passtech Games and now landed on PS4, we are faced with a title that from the beginning does not completely attack, providing a whole series of ideas that, if deepened, manage to shake off some deficit classic.
Approaching a roguelike it's never a simple thing, whether you know the genre or have never dealt with it. There is talk of titles that not only manage to put a strain on the subjective skills of the player, but which are characterized by languages very precise and, in many situations, quite specific. Each of them, in fact, in addition to offering a handful of elements derived from the genre itself and immediately recognizable, plays its main and distinctive cards through the features that make up the game world and its pitfalls. Furthermore the reiteration of the stylistic features of generally will never be enough to satisfy that slice of the public accustomed to consuming these video games focused on an immediacy that must immediately distinguish itself from all the other previous products and on the market, even drawing on it a minimum.
Curse of the Dead Gods turns out extremely recognizable from the beginning, this both because of the dynamics that opened its initial developments, and because of the way in which it is introduced to the plot events. This recognizability general can be both a virtue and a defect, also because if on the one hand it helps to take the first steps in an extremely aggressive and lacerating context, on the other it does not show itself too much innovative for certain things. The easy reading of some elements dampens a probable initial excitement (especially in the fans of the genre), opening a road that seems, in the first interactive moments, too reiterate and tap into from the past, arriving, however, very soon to define one own and later identity.
Fame, power and wealth at any cost
La plot of this title opens with a man (researcher or jackal) who remains locked in a ancient temple with recognizable features, with clear references to the culture ofLatin America, Maya o Aztecs. We don't know who he is, we don't know what he wants, and we don't know anything about his history, but we must continue. Around him the silence and above all thedarkness. This remains one of the most interesting elements and fascinating of this Curse of the Dead Gods. The combination of light / darkness it is not only an aesthetic feature of the title, but a real one gameplay element, central not only in the "visibility" of the area, but directly connected also to the statistics of the various clashes that will be faced.
From the beginning, and in every run, we will have one with us torch, this will shed light in the area immediately in front of the protagonist, and can be used to turn on special ones braziers positioned in the various rooms. These have a much wider range of illumination and it is important to spot them before each fight. The light / dark issue is suitably indicated by a symbol screen, located in the lower central part. This symbol indicates when we are in the dark or not, remembering that if you decide to face a room completely immersed in darkness, there will be a increase considerable of the percentage of damages incurred. So knowing how to use this torch remains central on several occasions, reminding you that you can also shed light by hitting the enemies themselves, which catch fire easily, even if for a very short time. Having to constantly think about all this incredibly dynamizes the various situations, throwing us from the beginning into a context that is quite fresh.
The first steps of Curse of the Dead Gods are marked by a tutorial which introduces, in a rather invasive and direct way, all the gameplay dynamics. In addition to thinking about what has been said about the torch and the light, it is a title with a visual isometric, in which you will have to push forward from room to room, defeating various enemies, and collecting or swapping objects available (weapons, relics, gold ...). The player will have aprimary weapon melee attack (with which it is possible to build combo single or concatenated) and asecondary weapon, from long or medium range. During the clashes you can either choose to attack in a direct line, dodging and by consuming the appropriate points of resistance (to keep an eye on if you want to survive), or parrying and countering the attacks of the creatures that will dwell your attempts. At the end of each room there will be one port to open and then one will open map through which it is possible choose the way to take to the next rooms. Inserting a map that anticipates the rooms to follow, with the various Awards kept within them, it forces you to face the game world by dosing well every step forward, based both on what you want to build with the protagonist, and on the various needs and randomness of each attempt.
Each run, of course, turns out random in its structure. In addition to the various enemies, which result immediately recognizable in their movement, especially if you are a little accustomed to the genre roguelike, the rooms are full of traps, also here with classic features and not too dissimilar from those found in other titles that have moved on the same genre. Obviously these not only impact on the player but also on the same creatures with which one collides, giving rise to a series of developments that, once again, push to take into extreme consideration thearena in which you move, drawing it through elements of the sphere strategic. Furthermore, the various rooms differ not only in the prizes, creatures and traps, but also in other elements that can help: the altars, for example, are the "shoppers" in which, in change of gold and other things, you can buy o improve what you own. The purpose general, therefore, always remains the same: learn to recognize the central dynamics of the game world and above all the various pitfalls that draw it, advance from room to room building the character from time to time based on the experience collected death after death, and get to the end to the boss.
Following each defeat, in addition to one screen extremely detailed of everything you have done, even at the percentage level, you end up in the so-called "Underworld". The underworld is thehub central of Curse of the Dead Gods, hub where you can relax, build altars through which to facilitate subsequent attempts and unlock gods permanent improvements through i crystal skulls he jade rings collected up to that point. You can choose between: Blessings of the Gods (permanent perks in the game), Weapons abandoned (restores the ability to find some specific types of weapons in runs) e Divine Gifts (allow you to upgrade the equipment offered by the reliquaries and unlock more divine gifts). Furthermore, by choosing to go forward in a new attempt, we will be able to choose not only to face the lives previous but also to embark on others, each characterized by its own elements and particular developments.
The goal therefore remains that of push forward at any cost, not only in the individual temples, but through them, completing them all gradually and replaying them continuously to improve and improve. Speaking of the general depth, it is also important to underline the presence of both aInventory through which to take stock of the situation, both of a bestiary linked to specific challenges aimed at getting to know the individual creatures better along the way.
The world is yours, but at a great price
In Curse of the Dead Gods you will not only have to deal with a game world extremely reluctant to your advancement, studded with dangers and proud enough not to let yourself be too wallowing in the various prizes obtainable gradually, and as the title itself says you will also have to do with a curse. One of the few direct plot elements of this title, in fact, sees the protagonist explore in the darkness of this ancient structure, in which he is closed, touching a portal and being captured by a strange and indefinite force which attracts him to himself, pushing him to continue. This is the condemnation of those who want to go too far over without reflecting, a warning that immediately transforms from a narrative into one of the elements most curious of all game. The curse is a status continuously present ed unavoidable. It is appropriately marked on the screen through a bar special, purple color, and is divided into 5 levels. This bar fills up both if you come across some particular actions, and especially when you do advances in game.
Virtually whenever you do complete a room, following the passing of the door that leads to subsequent developments, the degree curse increases by a little. The desire to explore, to discover and to test oneself, in Cursed of the Dead Gods is harnessed in this specific feature, in this bar that increases from door to door. Each time this fills up, it comes to touch a new level, here is that the rules of the game yes mix completely and casually, getting both important malus (which could make subsequent situations much more complex than before) and curious bonus to be exploited compulsorily. Also it can happen to come across rooms specially built on this status, rooms that on the one hand heal returning life points, but paying a price on which it is good to always reflect. The fact of having to deal with a game context that is not only aggressive, but also unpredictable in its structural developments, it incredibly dynamizes every single attempt, literally throwing the most curious players into the dark more total, both tangible and not, helping to enhance an experience that from time to time becomes more and more particularized, demanding and unique in its kind.
The expressive features of Curse of the Dead Gods
From the point of view graphic Curse of the Dead Gods is pretty inspired, especially when it comes to creature who live there, of the sprite general, the smallness of the menu and the stylistic touch pseudo-comic to direct its aesthetics. Unfortunately, the same attention was not paid to the settings at times rather remains it's enough repetitive in its assets, especially when it begins to reach considerable hours of play. This certainly does not affect too much an experience that, on the contrary, invests a lot on gameplay and on sensations who knows how to return pads to the hand. The backdrops, however, in some situations manage to restore the depth necessary to make you feel the cold and dusty geometries all around you.
From the point of view of plot, instead, we are faced with a title that DON'T it exposes itself a lot and that requires a patience all its own of those who will enter its coils, trying to go beyond the obvious gender stereotypes that, at least initially, may not strike that much, but easily erased from the general depth of possibilities of growth and discovery offered to the protagonist. The calls Religious obvious, then, can not help but fascinate, even in their being bestowed with a microscopic dropper.
Curse of the Dead Gods is a rogulike video game that on the one hand lays the foundations of an extremely knotted e deep from the point of view of gameplay and interaction, and on the other hand, it doesn't break down too much, anchoring itself to the styles of a genre that is clear from the start, to then dynamize them in an adventure that knows how to keep busy, but without too much involvement from the point of view of general writing.
