There's no shortage of studios trying to capitalize on the brutally difficult action-RPG gameplay FromSoftware repopularize with the Dark Souls franchise. But Harebrained Scheme Games is taking a slightly different approach, meshing the core Souls combat with mechanics popularized by Spelunky and Diablo to create a procedurally-generated, multiplayer adventure, Necropolis.
When I say Necropolis makes use of the core combat mechanics of the Souls franchise I mean it’s literally a duplicate of the standard Dark Souls control scheme. Your shield is controlled via the left shoulder/trigger, for parrying and blocking (respectively), while quick and strong attacks are mapped to R1 and R2. Players can lock-on to an enemy, or change their current target, using the right analog stick. Dodge is mapped to the circle button and careful management of your stamina is practically a requirement.
Thankfully, Necropolis doesn’t look to recreate the entire Dark Souls experience. Instead, it pairs brutal combat with procedurally-generated stages to create one of the most unique rogue-like games we’ve seen since the genre’s resurgence. The nameless adventurer guided by the player begins its quest deep inside a dungeon that change configuration each time our hero meets their untimely demise. Players must fight their way from floor to floor, grabbing whatever treasure they can along the way, and can even take weapons from fallen enemies to increase their damage output. Of course, this means players are relying on luck (to a certain degree) each run. But that’s nothing new to fans of the genre. Master of the core combat mechanics will help on every run. But few things have more of an immediate impact than a rare weapon drop.
To make things even more interesting, Necropolis supports drop-in/drop-out co-op play for up to four players, giving friends the option of trying to escape the dungeon together. As if all that weren’t enough to set Necropolis apart from the competition, players can also recover a variety of food and materials to be used with the game’s crafting system. Players can also stop at shops along the way, each of which sell a combination of temporary and permanent upgrades for your adventurer, to spend the gems and tokens accrued during each run.
While none of the game’s individual components are particularly revolutionary, Necropolis still manages to establish itself as a unique entry in an increasingly crowded genre. Movement still feels a bit slow, particularly when fighting multiple enemies, and a lack of easily identifiable trap indicators make the current iteration of the system frustrating at best. But a steady stream of loot, interesting 3D environments and worthwhile adaptation of Dark Souls’ combat mechanics make Necropolis a game to watch for anyone who still enjoys a good rogue-like.
Necropolis is in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The game hits PC on July 12 with a console debut coming sometime later this summer.
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