Indie Quickies #5 - Rogues and Puzzles
A free twin-stick auto-shooter, a roguelite arcade beat-em-up, a literal puzzle platformer, and more!
Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong rightfully dominated indie discourse over the last few months, and while I've put my fair share of time into each, I'm still far from beating either. They're both excellent games, but they require a level of focus that I haven't quite been able to muster lately. It's very much a 'me' problem. In any case, here are some other indies that I've been enjoying lately!
Disfigure
Disfigure is yet another entry in the busy auto-shooter/bullet-heaven genre, but it has two things going for it: its inventive Vision mechanic and the fact that it is completely free! There is a $5 DLC "donation" that will contribute to the game's ongoing development, but that's completely optional. I say "ongoing" because the game still isn't finished - there are still some placeholder images as well as weapons and maps still in development - but for a free game, Disfigure punches way above its weight.
What separates Disfigure from its peers is that aforementioned Vision system. Enemies are only visible when they are illuminated by the player's Vision, which normally takes the form of a Vision circle that surrounds the character by default, essentially operating as a small lantern in the otherwise pitch-black levels. Holding right-click (or L2 on a controller) will replace this circle with a Vision cone that follows the aiming reticle like a flashlight. This extends further than the circle, but it leaves the player blind to enemies that approach from behind and either side. Players must switch between the two to avoid getting swarmed by creepy crawlies.
The random powers, selected after each level-up, tend to activate every X kills, every X seconds, or every X shot. These run the gamut from homing missiles, meteor strikes, laser beams, and black holes, but what makes them more interesting are the ways in which they bolster and benefit from Vision. For example, a laser beam spawned by a dying enemy can be upgraded to illuminate everything within a small radius of the beam, but this can also be combined with buffs that increase damage to any enemies within your character's Vision, creating a laser that can serve as a murderous spotlight. Then there are unlockable weapons and mutators that can be unlocked with points and then selected at the start of future run, further adding to build variety.
Enemies are fairly simple overall, mostly consisting of writhing arthropods and tentacled eldritch creatures--all black, of course--and while the monochromatic artstyle does start to become a little monotonous, the enemy silhouette are distinct enough that they are instantly readable. Projectiles, explosions, and other area-of-effect attacks are clearly telegraphed by red outlines, and even when they overlap, its easy to find safe zones--though getting there might be another matter entirely. The bosses have some tricky patterns that will really test your reflexes, especially when enemies continue to spawn all around you.
I've only put a couple hours into Disfigure so far, but based on these first few runs, I'm inclined to toss the dev a few bucks to reward their hard work and creativity. This was a fun surprise that is a perfect fit for those evenings when I just want to turn my brain off and make things explode.
Absolum
I mentioned Hades II at the top, and Absolum certainly draws inspiration from that series when it comes to storytelling. Its world is rich with incidental lore, and friendly NPCs always have something new and interesting to say after each run. However, as far as gameplay is concerned, Absolum is essentially a side-scrolling beat-em-up in the vein of Golden Axe and Streets of Rage but with roguelike mechanics the player can improve between runs. Those classic arcade games were run-based by design (and developer Guard Crush also worked on Streets of Rage 4) so the persistent upgrades over time only deepens the gameplay loop. There are even branching paths through each island with their own unique encounters and mini-bosses, so discovering the entire world of Talamh is absolutely worth it solo or, even better, with a friend. More on this later!
Now, in true old-school beat-em-up fashion, Absolum is quite tough and mechanically complex. There are your standard light/heavy attacks along with launchers, juggles, and supers, but there are also dodges, deflects, and clashes (which are essentially riskier but heavier deflects). The roguelite elements also bestow randomized powerups, or rituals, throughout the run, which add additional effects such as creating free throwable weapons upon successfully dodging an attack or suspending enemies in a floating bubble at the end of a light combo. The player has a lot of tools at their disposal; thus the game necessitates the use of (and adaptation to) those tools. Button mashing is not an option if you want to make progress.
As mentioned above, the game supports two-player co-op, both locally and online. The game can even be played through Steam's Remote Play Together, so a friend can tag in even if they don't own the game. I was initially disappointed that the game only supports a maximum of two players, but once a buddy and I started hacking and slashing our way through the enemies of the Root Mother, the amount of chaos onscreen convinced me that this was a deliberate design choice. Truth be told, there were even moments where I was losing my character onscreen amidst all the magic effects and flying bodies. I turned on character outlines just to keep track of where I was!
It's tough to avoid comparing Absolum to Hades, but nearly all of the comparisons are favorable. The amount of room of player expression is vast, and the combat is extremely satisfying. Absolum may not have the same amount of depth as Hades when it comes to its narrative and gameplay, but I have been having a great time with it so far.
UFO: Unidentified Falling Objects
I'm terrible at this game, but I figure that someone out there will be much better than me at it. UFO is a novel take on the block clearing puzzle game in which players control a little dude who hops around and shoots blocks away to create contiguous blocks of the same color. Think Megaman meets Puyo-Puyo. The gameplay feels very unique because the falling blocks themselves are not being controlled; rather, the player must navigate the ever-changing level and clear the blocks with their trusty gun and various power-ups that drop throughout a run.
Blocks are cleared by shooting them, but any contiguous blocks of the same color are also destroyed, along with any adjacent hazards and powerups. One of the trickiest limitations is that you cannot shoot up or down, so in order to "dig" your way towards the bottom, you'll have to set up combos that extend downward. You can also kick blocks horizontally to move them out of the way or create additional combos.
Additional weapons and suit abilities are unlocked at a fairly decent clip, and despite my struggle to actually play well, I had a lot of fun! There's just a lot to keep track of at any given time. I had to rewire my brain to avoid falling blocks, since they do damage, and also dodge spike traps, bullets, ghosts and more, all while trying to combo my way to a high score. Getting hit once destroys your space suit, and getting hit again ends the run, Ghosts N' Goblins style, but every time you fill the meter on the left and level up (achieved by collecting the stars that bounce out of destroyed blocks), your space suit is restored. Again, there's a lot going on, and despite the cutesy colors, Unidentified Falling Objects is one of the toughest puzzle games I've ever played. If you're up for a challenge, it's definitely worth checking out, especially when it goes on sale!
Tactical Breach Wizards
Speaking of genres of games that a) I need to spend more time in, and b) make me feel stupid, our final title is a squad-based tactics game that won me over with its superbly witty writing and clever character abilities. Tactical Breach Wizards is from the same studio that brought us Heat Signature and Gunpoint, similarly inventive games with fantastic comedic timing. There's something about dry British humor that, when done right, is guaranteed to make me laugh, but it's surprising that there aren't a ton of games that I have found genuinely funny. Well, Suspicious Developments has another winner on their hands in that department; it just so happens that Tactical Breach Wizards is fun as hell on top of that.
The closest comparison that I could draw would be Into the Breach and the games that it inspired, e.g. Fights in Tight Spaces. Each level is more like a puzzle than an X-COM-style battlefield, tightly composed yet open-ended enough for some really nutty shenanigans when combined with the various weapons and abilities at your disposal. A surprising number of these are specially designed to push enemies out of windows. This never stops being hilarious.
Tactical Breach Wizards is one of those games where I'll complete a mission, miss a bonus objective, roll up my sleeves, and replay the level again and again to optimize each turn. This might impact the flow of the level progression and story, but the satisfaction that results from expertly teleporting, defenestrating, mind-controlling, and otherwise dismantling an enemy squad is exactly why I love this style of puzzle tactics.
That's all for this edition of Indie Quickies. Next time, I'll cover some of the games that I picked up during the Winter Sale!