Review: Roguecraft DX

Price: Physical £19.99 Evercade (bought on Amazon)

Developer: Badger Punch Games

Publisher: Thalamus/Evercade

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Players: 1

The second single-game cart for the Evercade family, Roguecraft DX has a lot to live up after the joy of 2023's Full Void. The Amiga's recent indie award-winning hit comes to Evercade with a host of tweaks in the DX edition, while suggesting some deep and classic 16-bit action crossing the Rogueing and Crafting genres. 

The DX tag adds more levels including the new starter Wilderness zone, with more level variations, enemies and potions, and improved character balance. There's also an achievement list for the modern gamer and some new music to rogue along to. 

One note for Evercade, if there's a single game on a cart, can we have a quick-load option to go straight into it? 

Except first up, there is no crafting! There's money to collect, but I have nowhere to spend it. I collect potions but can't stack or evolve them, and there's no way to collect or improve weaponry or armour, the only things that go up are strength and health. Perhaps the "craft" refers to the level creation? But this comes as a minor bummer. 

As a Diablo/Diablo II fan, and seeing "craft" in the title, I was expecting a little more from Roguecraft. That realisation set aside, on I venture. At the start, there's a warrior, rogue and wizard to choose from, each offering a different difficulty challenge and weapon, with the rogue able to teleport around the current room. 

Swords Out: A Roguecraft Adventure

Starting in the chicken-infested wilderness of Mordecoom there's the odd glathalha, snake or bat to stab or launch a spell at. To feel the joy of being a low-level hero setting off into the mighty unknown, without endless JRPG-jabber or open-world rendered cutscene exposition is a great revisited memory. 

Most of the early level is spent looking for the key and exit, the lure of secret rooms, potions and the power-ups to boost health and strength. The mini-map can help guide, and hint at secret locations, but save a keen eye for gem power-ups that can be less obvious when dropped. 

Taking a turn-based, grid-layout, design there's that cautious approach, or hold the direction buttons down to speed across a room and wade into the attack. Note, there's no access to Evercade save states! 

Potion effects change with each run, the red one might kill everything in the room, or turn invisible. If  low on health, a green potion will always restore, but there can be lots of running away when at low health to find one. Using level topography, there's usually a way to wriggle around most tricky low-health situations, or just rampage on and hope. 

All to the beat of meaty sound effects. A clang, I hit! Swish, I miss! Clang, I hit again, squelch, ahhh! Oh, it killed me! Death comes often (especially as the knobbly-kneed and feeble wizard) as is traditional in rogue games, but another adventure is right around the corner. Perhaps, slightly better informed with a new procedural map to explore. Do well and a hallowed place on the high score chart beckons. 

Nasty, Nasty Nightmares

Further down the levels, spikes, acid and flame environmental traps require a more cautious approach, and the monsters get nastier, particularly those innocent chickens that we slayed with joy early on. Do I risk exploring the whole level to maximise my attributes or hope to find the key and exit in the shortest run possible? 

I do dislike that a lot of tiles look like they could hurt my character, but are harmless, and there should definitely be more secrets, even if only cosmetic or story-telling! 

Having decided to love Roguecraft DX for what it is, there's bags of fun trying to improve on a previous performance and make it through the last few levels to complete the game, then complete it better, and find perhaps all the secrets. Either way, playing long into the night or until your portable's battery dies is inevitable. 

The key magic in the game is getting so focused on what to do for a next move, it is too easy to forget about health, which is all that matters in the quest for survival. Pop quiz hotshot: you're in a corner with one heart left, one health-potion and two beastie-packed rooms between you and the exit, what are you going to do? 

Things Roguecraft DX could do better, some more ambient noise, a cry when animals see you, a few little things would be great. One thing I do know is that Roguecraft DX 2 should be an absolute corker if the developers add in a few more upgrades, skills and a little more depth to a gorgeous. But until then, the Evercade physical is a great way to support Badger Punch and enjoy this exclusively! (Using CRT filters for that retro look, and playing on small or large screen!) 

Note, if you buy the game but are having trouble, I'm writing down some hints and tips as I go! 

Score 4/5