INFERNO CLIMBER
- July 7, 2016
- Arc System Works
- 30h median play time
Get on Steam"Inferno Climber is a challenging dungeon-crawler RPG set in a procedurally generated fiery underworld. Fight monsters, collect loot, and level up your character to survive as you descend deeper into the inferno. With permadeath and persistent difficulty, each playthrough is a unique test of strategy and endurance."
Reviews
- The game features a strong and fresh gameplay loop that keeps players engaged, with interesting mechanics like character switching and a unique death system.
- The art style and atmosphere are charming, reminiscent of classic games, and the combat mechanics offer a fun challenge for players who enjoy Souls-like experiences.
- There are creative elements in the game, such as the food mechanics and environmental interactions, which add depth and humor to the gameplay.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including poor optimization, frame rate drops, and clunky controls that hinder the overall experience.
- The grinding and farming required for equipment upgrades can feel tedious and time-consuming, leading to frustration, especially in later stages of the game.
- Many players find the design choices, such as the respawn mechanics and inventory management, to be confusing and punishing, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
- gameplay18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a blend of survival mechanics and action RPG elements, reminiscent of Dark Souls and The Legend of Zelda, featuring a food system that adds pressure and encourages exploration. While some mechanics can feel punishing, particularly the death and upgrade systems, they contribute to a challenging experience that may appeal to fans of masochistic gameplay. Overall, the game offers a variety of skills and mechanics that enhance the experience, despite not being particularly innovative or polished.
“The real flavor here is in the wild survival sim mechanics that, by the end of the game, have you eating garlic chicken to boost your attack power and farming fruit from trees and eggs from your chickens to make that food, as well as an atmosphere that only becomes more and more oppressive as the game proceeds.”
“This game combines Demon's Souls, the linearity and progression of Dark Souls 2 & 3, Legend of Zelda's combat mechanics, and survival RPGs with a dash of roguelike elements.”
“In short, if you love Dark Souls, Mario, and Zelda and don't mind some Monster Hunter-style hunger and equipment management mechanics, buy this game; it's fantastic.”
“The food mechanic is aggravating, but it exists to keep the player moving, so it accomplishes its job well.”
“It's not stellar or innovative in its execution, but it serves its purpose of adding different pressures as well as a variety of mechanical skills necessary to the game.”
“Choosing an improper upgrade path is nigh irrecoverable; the reason why is due to the game's 'lives' mechanics.”
- grinding13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding in this game to be excessive and tedious, often feeling like a never-ending cycle of farming for equipment, levels, and resources, especially after deaths that require respawning and re-farming. While some appreciate the survival mechanics and the challenge, many feel that the grind detracts from the overall enjoyment, making exploration and combat less engaging due to repetitive enemy encounters and the slow progression of character development. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's potential fun and exploration elements.
“Then starts the slog, the never-ending farming for levels, for the dark rapier, for the silver sword, good armor, upgrading everything in the blacksmith… farm for potions, farm for food… everything in this game is a never-ending grind.”
“Grinding; this game wants you to grind, not only due to enforced grinding from the death mechanism, but also due to weapons breaking.”
“When I play soulslikes, I like rushing into different areas and trying to go as far as I can without grinding, because attacking the same enemies over and over again, or walking around without challenge is not very fun.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a charming chibi art style and well-crafted environments that many players find appealing, though opinions vary on overall quality. While some appreciate the aesthetic and heart put into the visuals, others criticize the optimization issues and performance, noting that even high-end systems struggle to maintain consistent frame rates. Overall, the graphics are considered decent but not exceptional, with a mix of admiration for the art style and frustration over technical performance.
“From the gorgeous (and in my opinion adorable) art style to the lovingly crafted environments, it's easy to tell this game has a lot of heart in it.”
“It's a soulslike game with a chibi art style - even has the thing where the first boss fight will wreck your everything.”
“Summary: this game is cool, mixes elements from a few different beloved game series, has a charming art style, you should get it.”
“Graphics & engine & performance: 4/10 - the graphics, even maxed, aren't really good looking. I don't mind much about graphics, but there are serious optimization issues with this game. I currently have 16GB RAM, a 4.4GHz i4670K, and a GTX 970, and my frame rate dropped below 60 a few times, then went back to 240. Keep in mind this is early access, but don't expect to run it on max graphics if you don't have something similar to my rig. I currently play on high instead of maxed because I really hate it when my FPS hits 45 randomly. Other settings are way better (100+ always). Still, serious optimization issues here.”
“Graphically speaking, the game is not really bad-looking, but it's not brilliant either.”
“What it doesn't have in graphics, it makes up for in mechanics.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the sound effects and find the music pleasant, others criticize it for being simplistic and underwhelming. Additionally, there are reports of missing sound effects and issues with the music's volume relative to other audio cues. Overall, the sound design is noted as a strong point, but the music itself leaves room for improvement.
“The music and sound effects are nice to listen to, although there are some missing sound effects here and there. I'm closing a blind eye since Inferno Climber is still in early access.”
“The sound design is quite good too, with sound effects that stick with the corresponding actions, and the music, while I haven't heard it much so far, sounds good too.”
“Music: 4/10 - I'm really disappointed here; the songs are very simple and not to my liking, though some people might enjoy them.”
“However, the music is pretty quiet compared to the 'level up' jingle when it comes up.”
“Music is decent.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with users reporting performance drops even on high-end hardware, leading to inconsistent frame rates. Despite maxing out graphics settings, the visuals are underwhelming, reminiscent of older console titles, which further detracts from the overall experience.
“The graphics, even maxed out, aren't really good looking. I don't mind much about graphics, but there are serious optimization issues with this game. I currently have 16GB RAM, a 4.4GHz i4670K, and a GTX 970, and my frame rate dropped below 60 a few times, then went back to 240. Keep in mind this is early access, but don't expect to run it on max graphics unless you have a rig similar to mine. I currently play on high instead of maxed because I really hate it when my FPS hits 45 randomly. Other settings are way better (100+ always). Still, serious optimization issues here.”
- story2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story of this action RPG is noted to be extremely long and challenging, set against expansive levels filled with tough enemies and bosses. While the narrative itself is somewhat vague or underdeveloped, it is heavily influenced by various other games, suggesting a familiar yet intricate RPG experience.
“An extremely long and challenging story-light action RPG with expansive levels, tough enemies, and a detailed RPG system that clearly draws inspiration from many classic games.”
“An extremely long and difficult story-light action RPG with large levels, difficult enemies and bosses, and a detailed RPG system that was definitely heavily inspired by all the games mentioned above.”
“Story: ?”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by an increasingly oppressive feeling that complements its wild survival simulation mechanics, where players engage in activities like farming and cooking to enhance their abilities.
“The real flavor here is in the wild survival sim mechanics that, by the end of the game, have you eating garlic chicken to boost your attack power and farming fruit from trees and eggs from your chickens to make that food, as well as an atmosphere that only becomes more and more oppressive as the game proceeds.”
