Game: Evertried
Genre: Arcade, Strategy, Puzzle
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam (Windows), PS4, & Xbox)
Developer|Publisher: Lunic Games | DANGEN Entertainment
Age Rating: EU 7+ | US Everyone
Price: US $19.99 | UK £15.09 | EU € 19,99
Release Date: October 21st, 2021
Review code provided with many thanks to DANGEN Entertainment
Kickstarted
Evertried is another successful Kickstarter project. After being funded in August 2020 the developers have worked pretty quickly to bring this game to market in just over a year after funding which is pretty darn impressive.
The game plays like a tactical rogue-lite with turn-based combat. It’s a simple gameplay design that has a surprising amount of depth to it. If you like your rogue-lite games this is another fine addition to the genre well worth looking into.
The Way of the Warrior
You have died. Well, you play the soul of a warrior and before you can enter the afterlife you need to prove yourself in combat in a place known as ‘The Tower.’ What this translates to in the game is moving from floor to floor taking out enemies and bosses, occasionally stopping to shop and get some help from fellow souls.
As you travel up the tower you occasionally meet other characters and souls who provide further information on their own personal stories and even your character’s own background. There’s quite a lot of depth here to discover, putting quite an interesting mythology spin on the afterlife. But if you’re just here for the gameplay then you’re in for a treat.
Plan Your Move
The goal of the game is to dispatch all of the enemies on each floor before moving on. Each room is designed like a large board, a bit like chess on an isometric view. Every time you make a move the enemy will make a move straight after. You can move one space in four directions or use a handy dash move that will let you move two spaces. This is particularly handy if you’re trying to flee from a troublesome enemy or dangerous situation. You can attack enemies directly by hitting them, but if you plan your moves carefully you can lure them into traps, or even have the enemies damage each other. Defeating enemies will increase your focus level which determines how many shards you can obtain.
These act as the game’s currency to use in shops or give to NPCs. Being idle or moving idly will decrease the focus level so trying to play more aggressively does have its benefits. There were moments in this game where I felt backed into a corner with several enemies pursuing me, but by looking carefully I attacked one enemy which exploded and destroyed three others and then another fell into a trap. It is moments like this that make for incredibly rewarding gameplay experiences. It’s a simple pick up and play concept but that doesn’t mean the game will be easy. You can only take three hits before you lose a run, so you really need to make every move count, particularly in the later levels.
Tactical Rogue-Lite
Like any rogue-lite, you want to get as far as possible before inevitably being taken down. Then optionally you can sit for a moment learning from your mistakes before jumping back in for another run and starting the whole experience again from floor one. The Tower has 50 floors with 5 areas to explore. This could be achieved in under an hour but of course, this is a rogue-lite, so it will likely take you a silly number of attempts.
When I first started I actually only got to the second floor before failing miserably. But on my third attempt, things started to click and I was pretty hooked from there. What some gamers may find handy is this is a game that doesn’t require quick reflexes. You can really take your time with each move and enjoy the game at a slow and satisfying pace.
Shops and Bosses
After a few floors, you will eventually come to a shop where you can buy modifiers or skills with your shards. Modifiers act as passive abilities, for example, offering a percentage change so you won’t take a hit from an attacking enemy. Skills are usually traps you can lay for enemies such as turrets or blocks to obstruct their path. The most valuable purchase in the store for me was usually replenishing health which fortunately comes at a low cost.
At the end of each area is a boss fight which kinda acts as a glorified puzzle. These were very enjoyable to tackle initially. But after repeating runs a few times they do kinda start to become more of a slog once you have worked out the trick to beat each boss.
The bosses do have random elements themselves that may be slightly different but the overall formula to beat them is the same. The random placement of enemies and traps on the regular floors stays fresh after multiple runs.
Friendly Grim Reaper
The graphics are pretty standard pixel art design. It’s a familiar design but it works well for this indie game. The highlight of the art direction for me was easily my main character which is a green fiery soul that has a cape and mask with flames poking out like deer antlers. You also have a very cool scythe for a weapon making me question a lot in this game if I was playing a friendly version of the grim reaper.
Either way, it’s certainly a unique spin on a warrior soul. The game has a decent variety of enemies from purple wolves, weird bugs that leave deadly trails and these deadly horned beasts. The environments themselves feel a little too simple. Just your typical snow area, lava area and stone area. Nothing particularly special but it does the job. The game runs excellent in both TV and handheld modes.
Conclusion – Well Worth a Try
Evertried is a simple concept, yet highly addictive rogue-lite experience. It’s a great rogue-lite to enjoy in long or very short bursts. A little hard to start with but once it gets its afterlife claws into you it’s very hard to put down. It still amazes me how developers continue to come up with original ideas for the genre, but here we are with another talented indie developer proving me wrong. Evertried is a trip to the afterlife easily worth your time.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
