How [REDACTED] Fixes a Big Roguelike Issue

[REDACTED]is Striking Distance Studios' follow-up to the 2022 sci-fi horror gameThe Callisto Protocol, though aside from sharing a setting and some themes, the titles couldn’t be more different. In stark contrast to its predecessor’s atmospheric and cinematic third-person horror presentation,[REDACTED]is a full-blown isometric roguelike with some serious attitude and an irreverent sense of humor. But in a genre as competitive and saturated as roguelikes, it’s not enough to merely flaunt a familiar IP; for a roguelike to stand out to this audience, it’ll need gameplay to match.

In an interview with Game Rant, Striking Distance CEO Steve Papoutsis and creative director Ben Walker spoke about how the team addressed one ofthe roguelike genre’s most challenging hurdles: keeping each run feeling fresh and exciting. There’s no escaping repetition in a genre where dying and starting over repeatedly is the core gameplay loop, but smart design decisions and a generous helping of variety can keep players engaged in the same loop for hundreds of hours.

[REDACTED]’s Enemies Are Constantly Changing

One of many examples of how Striking Distance tackles repetition is through changes to the enemies that players encounter. Players will notice after many runs that a familiar enemy type behaves in a new way or some entirely new creature might appear in the biome. Walker mentioned how enemies might switch elemental types or other behaviors, and combined with other shifting variables throughout a[REDACTED]roguelike run, this leads to an entirely new set of challenges.

We roll out a lot of new enemies and variants over long playthroughs. So, suddenly, you’ll encounter a drone with a laser that wasn’t in the first area. Then, many hours in, there’s another version of it, but this one behaves differently—maybe it’s a frost variant. Little things like that keep players familiar, but also mix it up enough to make them react differently. At that point, players are focused on completing their run, so we don’t want to throw anything too disruptive at them, but we want to keep it fresh.

The rival system also adds variety since they play differently each run. You race against three at a time, and their behaviors change—one might attack you more, while another bolts ahead. So you have to react to each run in different ways, which helps keep things fresh.

Naturally, much of roguelike repetition is curbed by the random power-ups players can use to craft their builds, but Striking Distance recognizes that looking toward the enemy encounters these builds are tested upon can be just as important. When it comes toroguelikes like[REDACTED], the more problems the merrier.

[REDACTED]’s Rival System Makes Every Run Unique

Papoutsis, on the other hand, pointed out that[REDACTED]’s innovative rival systemalso does a lot of heavy lifting against runs feeling repetitive. As players fight through Black Iron Prison they’ll be racing up to three rival NPCs with unique personalities, voice lines, and abilities. Not only will players occasionally fight these rivals personally, but they’ll also be subject to a variety of room modifiers left behind by rivals who are ahead in the race.

The rivals help break up the repetitive nature of roguelikes by having their own attacks. You’re attacking them remotely, but they’re also deploying hazards against you. For example, you might enter a combat space and find they’ve set a giant bomb that you have to deactivate while fighting enemies. Another time, it might be poison gas, forcing you to run around turning it off. These rival attacks create a different dynamic and make you think in multiple layers.

Cleverly, the rival system also ties into[REDACTED]’s meta-progression system. Similar to many of the best roguelikes, players permanently grow in strength between runs in several areas. By finding dossiersthroughout Black Iron Prison, players can choose a rival to weaken for consecutive runs. This double whammy of combating repetition while offering an avenue of progression is one more example of the Striking Distance team doing its homework on good roguelike design.

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WHERE TO PLAY

Black Iron, a state-of-the-art penitentiary located on Jupiter’s icy moon Callisto, is overrun with hordes of infected inmates. As a modest prison guard your job is simple – get to the last escape pod and get out alive.But you aren’t the only survivor looking to escape. Your rivals – a deranged custodian, a violent gangster, a maniacal lunch lady, and more – can’t wait to step over your corpse and save themselves.Only one of you can make it off the moon – make sure it’s you!FIGHT/DIE/ADAPTEach death is a learning experience. Starting fresh each run, build up your loadout with powerful experiments, weapon schematics, and buffs to battle through Black Iron. When you die (and you will die), use your hard-earned loot to purchase new permanent weapons, suits, and skills. Get stronger, experiment with your strategy, and get out!ROUT YOUR RIVALSYou’re not the only person to survive the initial outbreak or willing to use a bit of violence to get to the last escape pod. Some prisoners and even your correctional services colleagues are just as eager to escape and will make escaping harder by attacking you remotely or challenging you to a one-on-one duel. Race them, attack them back remotely, and fight them to the death to make it out in one piece.FIGHT YOUR LAST CORPSEWhen you die, you leave more than a coverall-clad carcass. Defeat the reanimated corpse of the last guard to succumb to the prison’s dangers to earn a powerful experiment. But beware, it’s not going to be an easy fight. The semi-alive guard has the same loadout they had when they met an untimely end and a few extra tricks up its sleeve to keep things spicy.DO OR DIEYou’ve made the perfect build, battled through bosses, ran through rivals, killed your corpse, found all the files, and now you’re standing in front of that last escape pod. Sure, you could leave it all behind for the sweet taste of freedom… or risk it all in one last hardcore do-or-die run back through the prison. Fail and you lose all your purchased gear, skills, suits, and weapons. But IF you succeed, you’ll unlock new powerful permanent gear.FUTURE PUNKAn irreverent attitude, unique presentation, vivid graphic novel style, and a 180bpm original arcade-punk soundtrack by Mutato Muzika enhance [REDACTED]’s sci-fi setting and fast white-knuckle action.