The Serpent Rogue
- April 25, 2022
- Sengi Games
- 6h median play time
If you're someone who enjoys progression through discovery and problem solving, The Serpent Rogue is something you'll enjoy.
Get on Steam"The Serpent Rogue is a single-player, mystery open-world game set in a medieval fantasy world, where you play as a mysterious alchemist known as The Warden. Your mission is to protect the realm from the dreadful Serpent Rogue by exploring the map, unearthing secrets, and mastering the art of alchemy to craft extraordinary potions. With lots of grinding and around 6 hours of playtime, each action you take will create interest and have consequences, making your journey unique and engaging."
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a unique and charming art style, with a well-composed soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere.
- The alchemy mechanics are innovative and rewarding, allowing for a satisfying crafting experience and exploration.
- The focus on discovery and experimentation provides a sense of accomplishment as players learn and progress through the game.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and clunky mechanics, making it feel unfinished and at times unplayable.
- Combat and progression can be tedious, with poorly explained mechanics and a lack of guidance leading to confusion.
- The game is relatively short and can feel grindy, with limited content that may not justify its price.
- gameplay21 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this indie title is characterized by innovative alchemy mechanics and a charming art style, but it suffers from tedious repetition, clunky mechanics, and a lack of polish. While some players appreciate the engaging learning and progression systems, many find the overall experience frustrating due to poorly explained features, a cumbersome inventory system, and aimless gameplay. Despite its unique ideas and visuals, the game ultimately leaves players feeling unmotivated and dissatisfied with its execution.
“Charming indie title that's fairly innovative as far as its alchemy mechanics go.”
“Gameplay revolves around getting out to explore, collect things and research them so you can discover what they do.”
“Actually a very chill, relaxing game with some really unique mechanics I'm in love with so far.”
“Pleasant art style, unique atmosphere and lore... but ultimately the gameplay is just so tedious and repetitive, the difficulty so bumpy and the information so scarce that I don't have time nor motivation to dig deeper.”
“I wanted to like it, but the game won't help me, and I am tired of repeating gameplay and game design choices that are arguably mediocre.”
“However, it falls short with clunky mechanics and a lack of polish.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their unique art style and immersive atmosphere, with many players appreciating the detailed visuals and smooth gameplay. However, some critiques mention that certain graphical elements appear rough and that the overall presentation feels inconsistent, particularly in relation to the game's mechanics and world design. Overall, while the aesthetics are compelling, they are somewhat overshadowed by gameplay issues.
“Great visuals and smooth gameplay.”
“The visuals, writing, and sound immediately draw you in to a very stylistic world with tons of subtle details to enjoy.”
“Art style is unique and mesmerizing.”
“Some graphics look rough, mechanics can be clunky, especially during combat, and random characters and settings make the world feel unfinished.”
- story8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story is considered basic and short, with players noting that it can feel underdeveloped if rushed. However, taking time to explore side quests and interactions can enhance the experience, as the game offers fun elements beyond the main narrative. The gameplay loop focuses on resource collection and crafting, which ties into quest completion and story advancement.
“I took my time and completed achievements first then finished the story.”
“The game loop consists of collecting resources from the explorable maps, crafting potions to sell for gold, hiring NPCs, and buying cleansing vats/potions (you can't craft yourself...) to complete the quests to advance the story.”
“The story is basic and not much to it, but the game is fun as a rogue game.”
“The story is short if you just run through it.”
“You can miss a lot of fun interactions if you just go through the story.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often feeling that resource scarcity and a lack of clear information hinder progress and enjoyment. While some appreciate the unique atmosphere and art style, many express frustration with the game's lengthy grind for limited resources, leading to a sense of unfulfillment, especially given the price point. Overall, the grinding mechanics are seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's potential.
“I'm so bummed and really was hoping it was just annoying tedious things like in other reviews I could overlook, but this is just straight broken and unplayable for me.”
“This somehow manages to be tedious without actually taking that long.”
“A major issue I felt, the game seems long, but it's just grindy, with not a super large amount of content, at least not enough for $20 in my opinion.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its exceptional composition, effectively setting the mood and enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers note that the unique background tracks for different areas contribute significantly to engagement and immersion, making the soundtrack memorable and a standout feature of the game.
“The music composition really sets the mood, and I am excited to see what else this studio will bring to life.”
“The soundtrack has no business being this good.”
“To add to the waiting around for stuff, you also have to wait for the boat to arrive to hire NPCs, the music to fill the woods to hire monsters, corpses to disappear on their own until you can unlock the undertaker, and a few resources that only spawn outside of the explorable maps, one of which I only had respawn twice in my nearly ten hours of play so far.”
“The soundtrack is something you could never forget; it's very well composed.”
“[Very satisfying learning/progression system, background music unique to each area, adds to the experience, gameplay is very engaging and thought-provoking.]”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its pleasant art style and unique lore, creating an engaging environment. However, the tedious and repetitive gameplay, along with inconsistent difficulty and lack of information, detracts from the overall experience, leaving some players unmotivated to explore further.
“I enjoyed it for its atmosphere and casual gameplay with enough there to keep it interesting.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is described as semi-buggy, indicating that while it has some issues, it remains enjoyable and engaging for players.
“The game is semi-buggy.”
“It's a buggy yet fun rogue game.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the emotional engagement in the game is lacking, particularly in the initial stages, with players feeling that the first half hour fails to evoke any compelling feelings or justify continued play.
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and whimsical elements, often highlighted by the presence of amusing characters, such as a "funny little man," which adds a lighthearted and entertaining tone to the overall experience.
“The humor in this game is absolutely delightful!”
“I can't stop laughing at the witty dialogue and quirky characters!”
“The jokes are clever and perfectly timed, making every moment enjoyable!”
Critic Reviews
The Serpent Rogue Review – Master of some
The Serpent Rogue is a game that has a lot going on, which unfortunately has led to most of the game’s features feeling rushed and not fully executed. Keeping it simple would have been a good mantra for The Serpent Rogue to live by, but it instead tries to implement too many things with not enough finesse. The game certainly has interesting researching and crafting elements, with some other unique ideas too. However, it falls short with clunky mechanics and a lack of polish.
50%The Serpent Rogue review - A wondrous alchemic adventure
The Serpent Rogue is a beautifully crafted alchemic adventure with a gameplay system that I am constantly drawn to. It’s simple while still being very thought provoking and so much fun. The game can feel a little drawn out and dry between discoveries (and deaths) however the satisfaction of solving a problem becomes euphoric.
85%The Serpent Rogue (PC) REVIEW – A Roguishly Good Game
The Serpent Rogue is a unique and rewarding roguelite experience that puts the player fully in control of how they explore and purify its dreary, corrupted lands.
80%
