StarCrawlers Chimera

(I played exclusively on the Steam Deck.) Unlike many, I don't hate the base concept of the game, or the change in direction from their first one. Quite the opposite. The idea is good and new, and the execution solid. A classic roguelike with a modern spin, in more than one way, is actually super cool. All the negativity that follows is due to the fact that I still think the idea is amazing, if only it was done by literally any other game dev. The controls are heresy. Even though this game, in gameplay as well as in the UI, is extremely grid-based, as one would expect from a roguelike, they force you to control movement in both with the analog stick. I'm not kidding. They have grids; Squares. But they insist on you using not the the D-pad, but the analog stick to move. This feels disgusting on the field, but it feels even so much worse in the menus. When you create your character, for example, and you want to pick your starting traits, it's a huge hassle to do so, as, if you want to pick a talent that is three spaces to the right and four down, you can't just press the D-pad right three times and down four times. No, you have to awkwardly flick the stick in the direction you hope…

I really enjoyed the original StarCrawlers, and while this game is similar, it's too different for me to truly enjoy. There are tons of softlocking bugs (which are so frequent there's an in-game error message dedicated to it) and polish is overall poor. There is often too much happening onscreen to tell what is actually going on, with the worst case being the last boss. Sometimes it's the exact opposite, where the player literally can't see the ranged enemies attacking them because of objects in the dungeon obscuring their vision. I was excited to see this game come out of Early Access, but it could have used a lot more polish. With only 36 other reviews as of writing this, maybe it just didn't get enough feedback.

This game is terrible. It would only be kind of bad if not for the enormous waste of a good concept. The person designing all the skills and possible tactics for this game was entirely lacking in imagination. There is almost no way to use synergy between skills. Nothing you choose matters. There is no depth.

Good Points The skill system is incredibly engaging, allowing for strategic gameplay utilizing environmental elements like breaking glass and opening/closing doors. This adds a layer of tactical depth that keeps the experience fresh. Points Requiring Further Consideration While the introduction of distance and ammunition adds realism, it potentially hinders the game's pacing. The necessity of dividing armor into separate parts is debatable, but the inclusion of left-hand and two-handed weapon wielding is a welcome addition. Bad Points Unlike its predecessor, which allowed players to form a party of up to four characters from a roster of eight, this game forces a solo playthrough, resulting in concentrated damage and a significant difficulty spike. The implementation of distance mechanics makes the player vulnerable to attacks from blind spots, leading to frequent deaths. Coupled with overly aggressive enemies and frustrating gimmicks, the challenge can be overwhelming. I personally died three times before even reaching the second layer. Carrying over the sheer number of enemies from the previous game, which employed a symbol encounter system, feels unbalanced in this new cont…

Nice roguelite, can burn a couple evenings.

Great dev, great game Overwhelmingly positive