Temple of Rust

About

Temple of Rust is a single player and multiplayer casual role playing game. It was developed by James Mearman and was released on September 17, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

A game about learning to use an ancient sling against oppression. Top-down arena action with procedural elements.

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80%

Audience ScoreBased on 83 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The game has a charming retro pixel art style and a nostalgic feel, reminiscent of older indie games.
Despite some initial clunkiness, the gameplay becomes more enjoyable as players adapt to the mechanics, offering a fun challenge.
The developer, working solo, has shown dedication and potential for future improvements, making it a project worth keeping an eye on.

The combat mechanics are clunky and imprecise, with limited attack options and a lack of fluidity in movement.
The game feels repetitive and lacks variety in enemies and gameplay, leading to a dull experience over time.
There are significant issues with controls, including no mouse support and awkward keybindings, making navigation and gameplay frustrating.

gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
52%
16%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of solid mechanics and frustrating design choices. While the game features smooth controls and an interesting sling weapon mechanic, it suffers from limited movement options, imprecise shooting, and a lack of enemy variety, leading to repetitive gameplay. Overall, it shows potential but may require adjustments to enhance player engagement and enjoyment.
- “After a little practice, you'll know the mechanics of the game and it becomes more fun with each level.”
- “The mechanics are pretty smooth - I like the mechanic of the sling as a weapon.”
- “It's got great art and gameplay, though, and I recommend everyone tries it out as it's free.”
- “Locking movement and shooting to the 8 cardinal directions is not doing the gameplay any favors.”
- “It's so bland and slow in terms of gameplay; I'm glad I got it for free!”
- “Not a whole lot of variety in the enemies, and the gameplay soon becomes repetitive and stale.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with some praising the unique retro pixel art style that evokes nostalgia for early 2000s indie games, while others note the lack of detail and polish typical of a one-person project. Overall, the art style is appreciated for its charm and potential, though many reviewers anticipate improvements in future updates.
- “I love the art style of the characters and the world; can't wait to see what this game becomes once fully done.”
- “The game has lots of potential to be a great game, and its art style is very nice to look at, as it has its unique aesthetics.”
- “And considering this game is made by one person, from sound to graphics, everything!”
- “They chose to use obsolete retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “The graphics evoke a time of early 2000s indie where it was just a guy on a Geocities account and you downloaded the .exe.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's story is criticized for lacking depth and cohesion, with reviewers noting it feels more like a proof of concept than a fully realized narrative. While there are some elements of a storyline and character interactions in the hub, the overall plot is underdeveloped, relying on repetitive procedural generation rather than meaningful content.
- “The hub is a great way to forward the story with other characters.”
- “Levels best add some story at the beginning of the game.”
- “You had a couple of ideas and an engine that was not too hard to learn, but... that was it all... no story, no bigger concept, no vision.”
- “Until now, only a few chunks of a storyline.”
- “The developer was unable to come up with decent level design or game/story flow/plot, so they opted to try to use samey repetitive procedural generation algorithms as a substitute for adding content to the game.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in "Temple of Rust" features a nostalgic 80s soundtrack that enhances the cozy rogue-like experience, though it is limited in quantity. While the existing tracks are well-received, the absence of background music during gameplay is noted as a significant drawback. Sound effects are functional but also sparse, indicating that audio elements could benefit from further development.
- “Temple of Rust is a nice cozy roguelike with a decent touch of 80s soundtrack, challenging difficulty, and randomly generated levels.”
- “What little music is there is good, and the sound effects do the work.”
- “Sound effects and music take a while to implement and create, so don't count on there being a lot of those.”
- “Spinning slowly, or quickly, no background music is a big minus.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game's atmosphere is generally well-received, with beautiful sprites contributing to a visually appealing experience. However, some players feel that it lacks an engaging quality that would draw them in immediately, leading to mixed recommendations regarding its value.
- “The sprites are beautiful and the atmosphere is great; I love the look of this game.”
- “After only a short check of the game so far, it feels like a solid foundation for a good game (rounded mechanics, simple to start out, atmosphere okay), but it didn't pull me in on the first try, so I wouldn't recommend buying it for around 25 bucks.”
- “The atmosphere feels bland and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
- “Despite the promising mechanics, the atmosphere fails to engage, leaving the experience feeling hollow and uninviting.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unengaging, citing a lack of variety with only two enemy types and a big spider, along with uninspired weapons and poor sound design, leading to an overall un-fun experience.
- “Boring, with only two enemy types and a big spider. The weapons are uninteresting, the sound design is horrid, and it all feels like an un-fun, tedious runaround.”
- “The grinding is mind-numbing and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “After hours of grinding, I still feel like I'm not making any real progress, which is incredibly frustrating.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers note a significant lack of character development in the game, comparing it unfavorably to classic action RPGs from the 80s, which featured more engaging progression and goals. The absence of character growth, objectives, and rewards detracts from the overall experience.
- “If you're old enough to remember Gateway to Apshai or any one of those action RPG games from the 80s, it's a lot like one of those except there's no character development, no goal, far fewer monsters, and almost no treasures to find.”
- “The character development is almost non-existent, making it hard to feel invested in the story or the characters themselves.”
- “I was really disappointed with the lack of depth in character progression; it feels like the characters are just placeholders rather than individuals with growth.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight that the game's humor and creativity stand out, especially considering its limited budget and small development team, suggesting that these elements significantly enhance the overall experience.
- “The humor and creativity in this game can really make a difference, especially when you're not working with a large budget or a big team.”
- “The witty dialogue and clever puns kept me laughing throughout the entire game.”
- “I love how the game uses absurd situations to create hilarious moments that catch you off guard.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is viewed critically, with users noting that while it is partially free, it still feels like a cash grab typical of low-effort titles made with GameMaker Studio. There is a call for improvements to enhance the overall gaming experience.
- “Very often, GameMaker Studio is used to make shovelware and lazy cash grabs, although in this case, the game is partially free.”
- “I really, really honestly wanted to write a good review to help you get better advertising on Steam, but there's a lot of work needed to make this a fun game.”