Graphics & Sound

If they ever nailed the retro art style for a game, then this is it. Often enough, game designers tend to go too far into the pixel realm in an attempt to replicate the old-school look (looking at you Papers, Please). Let's not forget, there was that golden age of pixels where we could discuss detail and graphic quality between games.

Cellar Door Games was right on the money. Being retro doesn't mean it shouldn't be beautiful to look at and some of those later level environments are very lovely indeed. Game designers, take note! It's not about looking pixilated, but about the colorful, simple yet detailed, art style of that era.

Sound-wise there's nothing special. I never really noticed the sounds in the game much, so I guess that means they fit really well. The music is nice, but you're still more likely to put on your own playlist and mute it. It's not spectacular, but it's not bad either.

Look at all that color. Preeeettyyy...

Price vs. Fun

Rogue Legacy is an indie game and carries the low price of indie games. It may also come up in bundles or on sale too, where you can get it for near-nothing. That said, I actually encourage you to buy it at full price. I'm not kidding, these guys deserve it! When you compare this game's fun factor and time invested to an average AAA title it's a landslide victory. I invested at least thrice the amount of hours I do in the big name games and all of them were entertaining, whereas the big games can get tedious having you crawl through just to see how it ends.

There was no such epic custscene story telling here and still I couldn't put it down for the gameplay and mechanics alone. Take a lesson big game companies - these guys are doing it right!

Verdict - 8/10

Rogue Legacy is probably the only game that has ever made me smile in frustration. Is that even possible? Seems so. Cellar Door Games managed to create a beautiful and rare gem that appeals to both the hardcore and casual gamer inside me, you and probably anyone else who sat at a PC in recent years. One thing I can guarantee is that you will get sucked into this game and will likely spend many hours on it until you've tasted everything it has to offer.

The drawback? As innovative and fun as all the upgrade and choice systems are, as varied as the challenges and enemies can get, there is a tipping point you will reach long before the end where you'll just get used to what the game is. The new-factor will drain and you'll be left with the frustration of how unfair some of those random levels can get.

Still it will fill up a massive amount of time and is probably the equivalent to a carnival ride in terms of entertainment. That's a very strong 8/10 from me! It's not a true work of art, but Rogue Legacy will appeal to anyone for at least a good several hours, days, even weeks. When I give a rating this high, it means the game is definitely worth a try. You won't be sorry. If you are, feel free to bag on me in the comments (or if you enjoy it, praise is accepted too).