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Rogue Legacy: for your family

David MacDonald
Connector Staff

“Rogue Legacy” is the story of generation after generation of a family braving a cursed castle, progressing a bit farther each time before being defeated and starting again.  The game is a roguelike: a genre that prides itself on difficulty and where losing is not only expected, it is worked into the core gameplay.  

The average play through of Rogue Legacy will consist of the average player dying several hundred times before reaching the end of the game.  As the game progresses though, you become more skilled and receive better equipment, slowly overcoming the challenges set before you and eventually emerging master of the castle.

“Rogue Legacy”s core gameplay is that of a 2-d side-scroller with elements of exploration.  The castle that your family is trying to conquer changes its layout every time it is visited, meaning that you are forced to find the path through each time.  The combat is simple but flexible, consisting of fighting a variety of enemies by combining platforming while swinging your sword and casting spells.

In order to win the game, you must defeat the bosses of the four areas of the castle so that you may challenge the final boss.  Both the bosses and the regular enemies are far from easy, and you will die many times before mastering how to fight them.  In order to save yourself frustration, it would be helpful to readjust your goals from “trying to clear the castle in each run” to “getting a little bit better for the next run.”

Gold can be collected in the castle that can be used to buy stat upgrades, new equipment, and additional classes in-between lives.  Be warned though, entering the castle with a new hero requires you to give up all gold that you haven’t spent, so don’t bother being stingy.  Not that you could afford to in the first place, considering that the shopkeepers seem to be running a scam where they’re milking your family dry with constantly rising prices.

The key to enjoyability in “Rogue Legacy” comes from its variety that allows players to experiment.  After a hero dies, you are required to pick a new one from a pool, and each hero comes with randomly generated attributes.  Some of them are purely cosmetic, such as bald or gay, but many have an impact on gameplay.  The more obvious difference between the heroes is the class type and the special ability that comes with it, but there are other more quirky traits.  OCD gives you mana for breaking things, ADHD makes you move faster, and Vertigo flips the game upside-down and makes absurdly difficult to play.  Don’t get that last one.

“Rogue Legacy” is not perfect.  The difficulty can be too much for some, with the bonus bosses being borderline unbeatable, and some traits can doom the player for failure.  Its plot is bare bones as well, although there is a surprising twist near the end.  Overall though, it is an excellent experience for anyone who likes a good challenge.  Sharpen your blade, your family needs you.

Rogue Legacy is available on PC and the PSN.