Posted December 20, 2020
For the longest time, I had strived to get into classic roguelikes. Some folks seem to like them a whole lot, so I felt I was supposed to be able to like them too. But something about them just felt so tedious. It didn't help when they had hardcoded shortcuts with symbols not directly accessible with my danish keyboard.
Then I tried DoomRL. Nope, didn't get that one either. Then I heard about Jupiter Hell, an upcoming super-fancy 3D re-imagining of DoomRL. I saw previews of the gameplay, showing how the animations scaled with the player's moves, giving an illusion of real-time action. I was super hyped, but it was still far from released and I soon forgot all about it.
Later, I suddenly discovered that it had been released. I have played it quite a bit, and for some reason, it just clicked.
Jupiter Hell is basically a roguelike version of Doom. Enter a level, kill the baddies, find the exit. While pretty fun, it isn't quite as varied as some other roguelikes. This is the price you pay for the superior visuals: When every game element consist of fancy 3D, things that other roguelikes can add in an all-nighter may take several weeks or months.
The gameplay has been simplified: Only four direction movement, fewer commands, and you can't configure your character on launch, only choose between 3 classes: Marine, Scout, and Technician. While the individual levels are randomized, they are organized in the same branched structure.
In some cases, I think the simplification makes the game better. When you can only carry a maximum of three weapons, for instance, judging which weapon to leave behind becomes a harder choice than if you could carry a whole arsenal in your inventory.
It's one of those games that look simple, but has more going on under the surface. Cover plays a great role in surviving, and some creatures navigates by smell, making your fancy smoke granate useless.
The visuals are really good. In some runs, I died because I forgot it was turnbased, and made snap decisions, usually involving running. I remember someone talking about how fear, the feeling of being underpowered and helpless, was a key aspect of the original Rogue. I think that the feeling of vulnerability is pretty key in roguelikes. It is certainly present in FTL, one of my faves.
On this topic, the enemies in Jupiter Hell feel bad-ass and scary. Also, instead of those open areas where you can see anything, you're sneaking around, constantly unsure what is around the next corner. Similarly, when playing Caves of Qud, I quite enjoyed playing with the Myopic mutation, so I only saw things in a radius of 10. In Jupiter Hell, I'm also a bit wary of unlocking stuff that lets me track the enemies. If I can see where they are anyhow, where's the excitement?
Then I tried DoomRL. Nope, didn't get that one either. Then I heard about Jupiter Hell, an upcoming super-fancy 3D re-imagining of DoomRL. I saw previews of the gameplay, showing how the animations scaled with the player's moves, giving an illusion of real-time action. I was super hyped, but it was still far from released and I soon forgot all about it.
Later, I suddenly discovered that it had been released. I have played it quite a bit, and for some reason, it just clicked.
Jupiter Hell is basically a roguelike version of Doom. Enter a level, kill the baddies, find the exit. While pretty fun, it isn't quite as varied as some other roguelikes. This is the price you pay for the superior visuals: When every game element consist of fancy 3D, things that other roguelikes can add in an all-nighter may take several weeks or months.
The gameplay has been simplified: Only four direction movement, fewer commands, and you can't configure your character on launch, only choose between 3 classes: Marine, Scout, and Technician. While the individual levels are randomized, they are organized in the same branched structure.
In some cases, I think the simplification makes the game better. When you can only carry a maximum of three weapons, for instance, judging which weapon to leave behind becomes a harder choice than if you could carry a whole arsenal in your inventory.
It's one of those games that look simple, but has more going on under the surface. Cover plays a great role in surviving, and some creatures navigates by smell, making your fancy smoke granate useless.
The visuals are really good. In some runs, I died because I forgot it was turnbased, and made snap decisions, usually involving running. I remember someone talking about how fear, the feeling of being underpowered and helpless, was a key aspect of the original Rogue. I think that the feeling of vulnerability is pretty key in roguelikes. It is certainly present in FTL, one of my faves.
On this topic, the enemies in Jupiter Hell feel bad-ass and scary. Also, instead of those open areas where you can see anything, you're sneaking around, constantly unsure what is around the next corner. Similarly, when playing Caves of Qud, I quite enjoyed playing with the Myopic mutation, so I only saw things in a radius of 10. In Jupiter Hell, I'm also a bit wary of unlocking stuff that lets me track the enemies. If I can see where they are anyhow, where's the excitement?
Post edited December 20, 2020 by KasperHviid
