SpellRogue
- February 12, 2024
- Guidelight Games
- 74h median play time
Get on Steam"SpellRogue is a single-player strategy game with fantastic mechanics and perfect graphics. Manipulate dice to control Mana Dice and cast spells, while battling enemies that can sabotage your plans. Fight through the Deadwoods, Scorched Desert and more to cleanse the land of corruption."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- SpellRogue combines the best elements of Slay the Spire and Dicey Dungeons, offering a unique and engaging gameplay experience.
- The game features a variety of characters and spells, allowing for multiple viable builds and strategies in each run.
- The graphics and sound design are polished, enhancing the overall enjoyment and immersion of the game.
- The game can feel repetitive after a few runs, as the limited number of spells and artifacts may lead to similar gameplay experiences.
- Some players find the difficulty spikes and RNG elements frustrating, making it challenging to progress consistently.
- The unlock system for new spells and artifacts can be convoluted, requiring players to complete specific challenges that may feel overly punishing.
- gameplay312 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this roguelike deckbuilder is often compared to "Slay the Spire," featuring unique dice mechanics that enhance strategic planning and reduce randomness, making for a satisfying and engaging experience. Players appreciate the variety of character abilities, spell interactions, and the addictive gameplay loop, although some criticize the pacing and repetitiveness in later stages. Overall, the game is praised for its innovative mechanics and potential for replayability, despite some balancing issues and a need for more diverse content.
“Great gameplay loop and lots of replayability.”
“The dice add a new dimension to the depth of the gameplay, and abilities that allow you to manipulate and change the fundamental mechanics of the dice take what could feel like an additional unnecessary layer of RNG and turn it into several additional strategic options.”
“An enjoyable roguelite, reminiscent of Slay the Spire in a lot of ways, and the gameplay loop is very satisfying.”
“The gameplay is very one-dimensional, with only a few spell slots and no knowledge of what you are fighting prior, and this is made worse by several of the spells being quite generic 'deal x damage' or 'gain x block'.”
“However, the majority of gameplay is slow and tedious; the animations get in the way, the enemies are too generic, and the runs are too long.”
“The meh gameplay that never excites; it just does stuff but never feels satisfying.”
- graphics92 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the modern, polished art style and animations that enhance gameplay, while others criticize certain aspects as lacking charm or feeling overly simplistic. Some players highlight the game's stunning visuals and attention to detail, noting that it stands out among similar titles, while a few express dissatisfaction with the overall aesthetic or performance issues on lower-end hardware. Overall, the graphics are generally regarded as a strong point, contributing positively to the gaming experience.
“The mechanics are fun, the aesthetic gorgeous, and each update brings more replayability and depth.”
“It's incredibly polished, well-playtested, has stunningly beautiful graphics, and I haven't encountered a single bug while playing (despite my best efforts at the start).”
“Love the awesome attention to detail in the graphics, sound, and animation.”
“Graphics are downright ugly, and all the 3D stuff makes my laptop run hot.”
“Graphics: 4/10 looks procedural generated, no character to the characters.”
“The graphical style really put me off from buying it initially.”
- replayability41 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its replayability, with many players enjoying the diverse mechanics, character options, and deck-building elements that keep each run fresh and engaging. However, some users express concerns about the current content limitations, suggesting that the replay value may diminish without additional characters and updates. While many see potential for the game to reach the replayability levels of titles like "Slay the Spire," others feel it may struggle to maintain interest in its current state.
“It's a fun game with amazing replayability.”
“The mechanics are fun, the aesthetic is gorgeous, and each update brings more replayability and depth.”
“I want to start by saying that even for an early access title, the game has a great deal of replayability thanks to its deep systems.”
“Great first few hours, until you realize there's almost no replayability.”
“Honestly, I can see it getting boring since it's just using 'replayability' to mask low game content.”
“I already felt the strain with Slay the Spire having 4 characters, so this game having just 3, and only 2 that actually feel viable, is definitely hindering the replay value right now.”
- music17 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising the pleasant soundtrack and sound effects, while others criticize the lack of variety and catchy tunes, describing it as ambient and uninspired. Many feel that the music does not enhance the gameplay experience and could benefit from more character and creativity. Overall, while the art style is appreciated, the music is seen as a missed opportunity.
“The animations are gorgeous and the soundtrack is pleasant.”
“Truly amazing art style with a nice soundtrack to boot.”
“The music and the sound effects are all pleasant to listen to.”
“Music: 1/10: what happened to the days where games tried to create catchy music?”
“Could use a bit more variety in music to spice things up, and perhaps enemies could be given a bit of character.”
“Recommended only if you've 100%'d Slay the Spire and Dicey Dungeons and for some reason you want to start all over again, but this time you want to look at unimaginative 3D environments and listen to elevator music.”
- story16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and world-building, with many players expressing a desire for a more compelling narrative to enhance their experience. While there are indications that developers are working on introducing story elements, the current content is seen as insufficient and uninspiring, leaving players feeling unmotivated to continue. Overall, the consensus is that a stronger storyline is needed to elevate the game.
“After reading the latest news, I am excited to see the developers introducing some story to the game, and I'm glad to see them working to improve it with continuous support and updates.”
“To the devs, the only thing I'd ask for more is story!”
“Can you build dynamic story elements in so it feels fresh every time?”
“There's no real story or world building.”
“Two hours in, I felt even with another character unlocked, I had reached the pinnacle of the game's play style with no story to compel me to see it through.”
“The only thing I wish is that they had a better storyline.”
- grinding15 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, with long battles and generic enemies contributing to a lack of satisfying progression. The limited and scarce unlocks, combined with the inability to duplicate spells, further exacerbate the grind, making the gameplay feel repetitive and less engaging. Many reviewers suggest that adjustments to the speed of certain mechanics could alleviate some of the tedium.
“However, the majority of gameplay is slow and tedious; the animations get in the way, the enemies are too generic, and the runs are too long.”
“Again, while it's a perfectly adequate game, it just feels slow. The attack animations can be tedious, and each battle takes too long without a satisfying payoff.”
“My one con is that the mutation stages can get very oppressive at high tiers, which makes the game a lot more tedious.”
- stability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Spellrogue offers an enjoyable experience, but it is marred by several bugs. However, it performs well on the Steam Deck, indicating good optimization for that platform.
“Runs great on the Steam Deck as well.”
“Spellrogue is fun enough, but also quite buggy.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from poor optimization and limited content, but there is optimism for future improvements. Additionally, the balance of difficulty varies significantly, with some competitors being either too easy or overly challenging, restricting effective build options.
“Poor optimization and limited content for now, but on a good path!”
“Some competitors are faceroll-easy or so overtuned that only a narrow range of optimized builds works.”
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with multiple users highlighting its comedic elements and overall fun experience.
“This game is hilarious!”
“The humor in this game is top-notch!”
“I couldn't stop laughing at the witty dialogue!”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has raised concerns among users, particularly due to the high volume of advertisements encountered, which may detract from the overall experience.
“I noticed that I was bombarded with ads for the game on my Reddit app, which made me question its monetization strategy.”
“The constant ads I encountered while using the Reddit app raised concerns about the game's monetization approach.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a sense of emotional fatigue, indicating that while they have invested considerable time in the game, they feel a lack of motivation to continue until meaningful improvements are made. This suggests that the emotional engagement may be waning due to dissatisfaction with the current state of the game.
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game features creative designs but suffers from an overall lack of polish, leading to a perception of an "unreal engine student project" aesthetic. While the graphics are well-executed, the art direction does not fully support the depth of character development.
