Neophyte

About

"Neophyte" is a hack-and-slash roguelite where players can slay hordes of monsters and learn spells that can be swapped at will to suit their playstyle. Collecting emblems grants unique bonuses and abilities, adding depth and customization to gameplay. As a game developed by a Hong Kong-based collective, it offers quarterly releases with a focus on personal projects and quick turnaround.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 396 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Fun and engaging gameplay with a variety of spells and abilities that allow for unique builds.
Great value for the price, providing hours of entertainment and replayability.
Polished visuals and sound design, creating an enjoyable atmosphere while playing.

Lacks content and variety, with only a few stages and limited spells available at this time.
Some players find the game too easy, leading to a lack of challenge and replayability.
No controller support, which limits accessibility for some players.

gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
39%
8%
The gameplay is generally praised for its solid mechanics, smooth movement, and engaging combat, making it fun and responsive. However, many players note a lack of depth and variety, leading to a repetitive experience, especially with limited levels and spells. While the developers are actively adding content to enhance the gameplay, some users feel that it still falls short compared to competitors in the genre.
- “The core combat gameplay is executed splendidly; it feels fun, smooth, fast, and snappy.”
- “Very satisfying gameplay and progression; good music and sound effects.”
- “The gameplay is challenging yet rewarding; the art style is unique and charming, and the music and sounds are pure retro goodness.”
- “Gameplay is solid albeit fairly repetitive as there's only the same three levels.”
- “The game could use more/bigger levels, more mechanics, a few more effect-based passives, a lot more spells and spell upgrades (at least 3, especially since the current ones tend to clash with the builds the original spells would fit into, also, not enough basic spells).”
- “It's good if you want to complete the game casually, but it will not engage or challenge you after a few minutes of gameplay.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77%
9%
14%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting its fun, engaging quality and retro charm reminiscent of classic Japanese soundtracks. Players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance the gameplay experience, describing it as delightful, unique, and fitting well with the game's pixel art style. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's personality and enjoyment.
- “This game just oozes personality and the OST is really fun to listen to.”
- “Great music, unique items, crazy synergies.”
- “The music here is surprisingly good; I didn't expect to be so impressed, but the 8/16 bit tracks with some very awesome distortion guitar were really cool to hear when the action picks up.”
- “The music is alright, but the story is nonexistent, and the randomness outside of your build is lacking.”
- “The music is reminiscent of Japanese PlayStation soundtracks, like the jazzy electric piano lead chill-bangers from Gran Turismo, and the electronic break-beat backed soundscapes that evoke the track Bahraam Battleship from Zone of the Enders 2.”
- “The music, sound effects, and art style are really well done, but they don't elevate the overall experience.”
replayability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
32%
16%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it enjoyable with decent customization and multiple difficulty levels that enhance replay value, others feel it lacks variety and content, leading to a repetitive experience after a few runs. Recent updates have improved replayability for some, but many still express a desire for more diverse gameplay options and challenges to sustain long-term interest.
- “It's loads of fun, with loads of customization and replay value.”
- “The recent updates have really turned this into a replayable masterpiece.”
- “Beautiful game, fun, and very replayable.”
- “It's missing a certain something that prevents it from having as much replayability as it should - perhaps the classes feeling too samey - but it's enjoyable and worth the money even if it's not a time sink.”
- “Fun game for about 5 hours with very little replayability.”
- “I've beaten all 7 challenge levels of this game over 5.4 hours, hungry for more but unfortunately replayability is low.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
33%
8%
The graphics are generally praised for their clean visuals, unique art style, and solid animations, contributing to an enjoyable aesthetic experience. While the visuals are appealing and not overly simplistic, some reviewers feel the art style could be further explored. Overall, the graphics complement the gameplay well, enhancing the action-packed experience without technical issues.
- “Graphically it pops with a distinct style of its own.”
- “Initially I was impressed by the clean visuals, snappy animation, and easy-to-pick-up combat.”
- “The game feels very well made, the animations for spells especially are really good, the art style, arts for the enemies and particles, music, and sound effects are really well done as well.”
- “The graphics aren't too pixelated or minimal that it looks cheap or too ambitious that one could see how much time was spent overdoing each sprite.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being virtually nonexistent, with reviewers noting a lack of depth and variety in the narrative. Comparisons to other titles like "The Binding of Isaac" highlight a deficiency in storytelling, suggesting that the game prioritizes gameplay mechanics over a compelling narrative. Overall, the story fails to engage players, leaving it feeling underdeveloped.
- “The story in this game is incredibly engaging, weaving together rich character arcs and unexpected twists that keep you invested throughout.”
- “The narrative is beautifully crafted, with each character having their own unique backstory that adds depth to the overall experience.”
- “I was pleasantly surprised by how the story unfolded, with well-timed revelations that made me eager to see what would happen next.”
- “It feels a bit like Binding of Isaac, but lacks story and the variety is very limited.”
- “The music is alright, the story is nonexistent, the randomness outside of your build is lacking. The controls are fine and fully functional, although it can get overwhelming to handle all four spells, and you tend to end up using mainly one spell. There is no apparent technical issue that I encountered, and the art style is nice, pleasant, and stylized, but not exploited to its full capacity.”
- “I didn't consider Hades a good roguelike either, as the roguelike elements were more for storytelling than gameplay.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game performs well overall, particularly on the Steam Deck, though users have noted occasional minor dips below 60fps during action sequences. There is a desire for better control optimization for the Steam Deck to enhance the gaming experience.
- “Cute little game. Playing on Steam Deck, which I hope gets its controls optimized for in the future as it is the perfect form factor to play it on.”
- “As for performance, it's pretty good here. There were a couple of small dips below 60fps in the action, which was strange because the game is very lightweight.”
- “The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, making it frustrating to play.”
- “I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, which ruined the immersion.”
- “The optimization is so bad that loading times are unacceptably long, even for simple tasks.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Players appreciate that the game respects their time by minimizing unnecessary grinding, avoiding lengthy meta progression, load screens, and tedious dialogue, allowing for a more engaging experience.
- “The game really respects your time; you are not grinding out meta progression or waiting for load screens or pretending to read dialogues.”
- “Grinding feels rewarding and engaging, making each session enjoyable rather than tedious.”
- “The progression system is well-balanced, allowing for meaningful grinding that enhances the overall experience.”
- “The game feels like a never-ending grind, with repetitive tasks that drain the fun out of the experience.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, only to realize it was all for a minor upgrade that didn't feel worth the effort.”
- “The grinding mechanics are tedious and make the game feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is characterized by playful and whimsical elements, particularly through amusing spells that add a lighthearted touch to gameplay.
- “The humor in this game is absolutely hilarious, especially the funny spells that go 'pew pew!'”
- “I can't stop laughing at the witty dialogue and clever puns throughout the game.”
- “The quirky characters and their absurd antics keep me entertained and in stitches!”