The minimalistic arena shooter: Impaler
Impaler (Early Review)
Publisher: Retrovibe
Releases On: Dec 6, 2022
Price: $3 USD
In Impaler you summon, as the name suggests, spikes to impale and slay monsters. You can also use them to build barriers. It has some rogue-like elements which help try to ensure a different feel each run but it falls short.
The game is influenced by retro games like DOOM and QUAKE with a real nostalgic feel to it. It's not perfect but it isn't bad either.
What are some of the problems?
The replay-ability
The game does not offer much in terms of variety. It's a straightforward linear path with the same mechanics and same enemies for the entire game. This should by default remove the claim of being a Rogue-Like.
The monsters are pretty slow and there is no difficulty increase
I didn't really seem to have much of a challenge when going in on my 3 runs. Each run was relatively easy and didn't show any signs of change when it comes to enemies or bosses, the only difference was the weapon I chose.
Every gun has an overheat meter which is kind of boring
The player has infinite ammo, so all this does is make the player take a break from the slaughter as they wait for the weapons to cool down, killing the mood.
Each run is about 30 minutes of gameplay and that's it
The game itself is only $3, so I am not really expecting much when it comes to playtime, however, it wants you to keep playing the same levels with the same monsters and same mechanics just with a different gun each time.
How does the game feel?
Relaxing and fun for what it is
The game gets straight to the point. You're here to shoot and kill, there is no story, there are no long ass cutscenes or anything of that nature.
This is pretty nostalgic to the classics where it was just plug in and play, instead of having to sit through many minutes of dialog you often really didn't care for.
How much deviation is there from each run?
This is all there is currently
Yep! Each time you complete a level so long as you have enough money you can buy a random upgrade from the two options available.
I really wouldn't consider this a true rogue-like game since this is all there is outside of choosing a different starter gun while everything else is linear.
Kill monsters and pick up their gold, you can also occasionally play a little mini-game where you bump around a golden chalice into the golden beams; these aren't really that difficult and kind of take away from the overall action.
Would you recommend this game?
Yes and No
If the developers have plans to add variety, bosses and above all else actual roguelike elements then without a doubt I would recommend it.
If you decide not to, then I would have to be against recommending it.
This concludes my review of this game, while my opinions may be met with criticism, that's what makes gamers unique, you don't have to like the same things that others do, nor do you have to agree with them.
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