Have you ever wanted to work in video games? Well that's what the guys at GameBizCo Inc. do. Literally.
Join the cast of Another Videogame Webcomic as we peek behind the curtain to see what exactly goes into bringing your favorite video games to the small screen. It may be a job in video games, but it's still a job.
Rogue Legacy
Platform: PS3. PS4, PSVita, PC, Mac, Linux
Price: $14.99
If there's any place that death matters even less than in comics, it's videogames. We rush headfirst into a level only to get killed immediately, respawn, repeat. The only thing that death costs us is the time it takes for the game to load up again. But in Rogue Legacy, death means something. It means you might have to spend your next playthrough with the level upside down or without color or as a dwarf or... well, you get the idea.
Rogue Legacy feels like a game ripped from the NES era of videogames. It's a hack and slash in the spirit of Ghosts 'n Goblins where you traverse various rooms in a castle killing your enemies with either your sword or spells all the while collecting gold. However, unlike Ghosts 'n Goblins, the rooms change from playthrough to playthrough. (But the difficulty is about on par with Ghosts 'n Goblins, which is to say, HARD.) Enemy placement changes, rooms change, boss locations change. Each of your playthroughs is randomly generated so no two runs will play the same.
But the levels aren't the only thing that changes from playthrough to playthrough. Instead of playing through the same character throughout the entire game, you play as the heir of your recently deceased forefather. With that comes playing through as a different class or a host of different attributes or handicaps. One heir might be a giant barbarian who can gain mana by destroying the various jars and tables that litter the dungeon. Another heir might be a miner who gives you a gold bonus that can show you enemy placements on your minimap but can't see in 3D. Or you might end up with Alzheimer's and not be able to access the map at all!
What helps the game from feeling like you're continuously trying to break through a wall by banging your head up against it is the ability to upgrade your castle with gold, which in turn upgrades your attributes for all your heirs. You can also buy better armor and weapons or runes, which give you abilities like double jumps, dashes or even flying. You can even lock the dungeon down in return for only getting 60% of the gold you would have found. But beware if you're looking to save up for that one big upgrade... you'll need to plunk down all of your gold just to attempt the dungeon again.
At first glance, it almost seems unfair. An unforgiving game, with a random dungeon and a character that may not be able to survive for very long? Sounds like we're venturing into controller tossing territory, aren't we? But as you play through a (sometimes quick) succession of characters, the game becomes a addictive. You want to try to make it just a little bit further. You familiarize yourself with enemy patterns. Your reflexes get just a little bit better. Next thing you know you've spent an hour on the game.
The best thing about Rogue Legacy is it's a good pick up and play game. You can play for a little bit and not have to worry about where you are in the game or what you need to do. I love a good story, but there's something visceral about playing a game like this. Maybe it's the fact that you die over and over again and it acutally means something in the game? Who knows? But I'm looking forward to seeing how Lady Chun Li XIV fares in the dungeon with her fear of chickens...
Rating
I wholeheartedly give Rouge Legacy a "buy". It's fun, quirky and addictive. If you yearn for games the way they used to be, before we got enamored with how many polygons a game has or whether the game runs in 60 frames or 30 frames, Rouge Legacy is worth checking out.
Recommendations
Nethack - Rouge Legacy gets it's name for being a "rouge-like" or "rouge-lite", which is an old dungeon crawl which was procedurally generated. Nethack is another rouge-like that I stumbled across a loooong time ago. The graphics obviously aren't much to look at, but I love the sheer amount of things you can do in the game makes it fun. Plus in all the years I've played this game (on and off), I've never actually beaten it...
Player Two
After the resurgence of multiplayer co-op, GameBizCo Inc. hired Player Two to be the Goose to someone else's Maverick. His workload isn't quite as heavy as most of the other people working at GameBizCo Inc. and as a result, he spends a lot of time in the break room or playing computer solitaire.
First Appearance: Another Videogame Webcomic?!? An Introduction
Player One
Player One is top dog at GameBizCo Inc. Nearly every game, from Pong to Mario Bros to Grand Theft Auto, requires Player One's expertise. His cocksure and sometimes inappropriate attitude is an annoyance to his coworkers but seeing as every game needs a first player, they make due.
First Appearance: Bonus Stage! Here comes Player One!
Damsel I. Distress
Whether it be a castle, a dungeon or mystical island, Damsel always needs to be saved... and she hates it. Damsel longs for the day when she's given the role of a strong female lead character who doesn't have huge breasts with hyper accurate physics.
First Appearance: LittleBIGPlanet
Final Boss
Underneath the huge brute that is Final Boss lies a timid creature who wouldn't hurt a fly. He puts on his "angry face" when throwing barrels down ramps or breathing fire but deep down he feels sorry for doing so. He's been known to throw a game or two in the player's favor.
First Appearance: World Record
John Minion
John Minion, or Min for short, is the hardest working employee at GameBizCo Inc. Playing everything from Goombas to no name thugs, Min gets beat up on a daily basis but loves every minute of it. He always wanted to work in the gaming industry and was originally hired as an intern. After years of getting coffee, his big break came when someone called in sick... and the rest is history.
First Appearance: Watchmen: The End is Nigh
Middle Manager
Middle Manager works in the Human Resources department. He runs staff meetings and interviews prospective employees. The other 90% of his time is spent playing Freecell on his computer.
First Appearance: Another Videogame Webcomic?!? An Introduction
