The Roguelike genre has exploded in the past decade. It seems like not a week goes by that some new procedurally generated dungeon crawler doesn’t find its way onto virtual shop fronts.
Enter stage left, Nuke Nine’s Vagante, a rather charming little Roguelike with platforming elements and great pixel artwork that certainly has its moments.
Opening with our heroes being dumped outside an ominous looking cave by a bloke in a caravan, the goal is simple: See how deep you can venture into the labyrinthine network of caverns before you inevitably snuff it.
Though each of Vagante’s assets is well designed, thanks to the procedurally generated nature of the stages, it doesn’t take long for the environments to feel a little samey. Each cavern is also very dark, with players not able to see more than a couple of feet in front of them at any time. In most cases, this would be an issue, but as the entire point of the game is exploring an increasingly oppressive cave system, it works to Vagantes advantage.
As you delve deeper into the dank and dark, not knowing what waits through the next door or the next tunnel, the constantly shifting world and limited lighting keep players on their toes. As a result, Vagante rewards careful exploration while grabbing as much treasure as possible.
Death can come swiftly too. Fall on some spikes, and you will die instantly. Set off a trap, prepare to lose a shit ton of health. The tides can turn very quickly, from you plundering your way through each stage with ease to being ambushed by bandits and punted onto spikes in short order.
Nuke Nine has described Vagante as ‘tough but fair’, but it is not above pulling some cheap tricks from time to time by pure virtue of its random level design.
The narrative is kept very much in the background too. After being dropped off at the cave entrance, players take on the role of either a knight, mage or rogue. Why are you there? For the loot, of course. How many poor sods were lured to this place with promises of fame and fortune before you? Probably more than a few caravans worth.
Though each class starts with different equipment and abilities, every class can use any piece of equipment or spell they find during a run. This can result in some fantastic combinations. My favourite is a fireball throwing knight.
Each run feels unique thanks to the sheer wealth of weapons, spells and items you can grab during each run. There are also loads of different enemies to bash, bosses to tackle, and even random shops to spend your ill-gotten gains at. (though how useful the items they have for sale also appears to be random).
Then there are the traps. Oh, the traps. They are simultaneously a godsend and a complete pain in the arse, depending on whether the random rock falls on your head or the monster coming to kill you.
Vagante is probably at its best when you can get some friends together to go cave diving together, either locally or online. With some fellow adventurers to watch my back, I survived longer. This is great as the game starts to open up in its later stages.
However you want to play, Vagante is a moody and engaging dungeon diver that will keep genre fans more than happy. Though it may not break any new ground, for the best part, it plays well, and it is fun to while away a few hours exploring either by yourself or with friends.