The rogue-like genre excels at variety in gameplay and meaningful choices. It’s a genre that has only gotten bigger over time, and is to many considered an indie-staple, with AAA developers only occasionally dipping their toes in its unique complexities

Godstone, by solo developer Demented Plant, is a new entry in the genre that was released in early access in March last year. It recently received one of its biggest updates to date, adding the second act of the game, along with a ton of new content. In that occasion, we thought it fitting to check out the game, and see how well it manages to stand out in an otherwise saturated market of rogue-lites.

Decent combat with too little variety

Most of your time in Godstone will be spent in combat, as there isn’t much other content at the moment. Sure, there are a few platforming sections, but they aren’t challenging at all, and there are also a couple of secrets to be found, but they remain in the same spots every run. So while those aspects are fairly sparse, it’s a good thing that combat is decent, even really good at times.

It’s nothing you haven’t seen before though: You can either go melee using swords and knives, ranged using magics and throwable weapons, or a mix of the two. I would’ve loved to see more variety in weapons, though – both melee and ranged – as there are only a handful to find at this time. Rogue-lites thrive on variety, so having only a couple of weapons for each playstyle made runs feel a bit too samey. The bloodgem system does help alleviate the lack of weapons, but I’ll get to that later.

Other than attacking, there’s also a dodge button with invincibility frames, letting you reposition and dodge through enemy attacks. And oh boy are there a lot of attacks to dodge through. Most enemies fire magic projectiles, with some of these even bouncing on walls. This almost turns the game into a sort of bullet-hell side-scroller at times, where you’re constantly dodging through enemy attacks to stay alive. It’s really stressful, but also a lot of fun. Instead of focusing purely on RNG, Godstone requires more skill from the player than the average rogue-lite, and I really appreciate that.

Nostalgic visuals drenched in darkness

The visuals in Godstone are what really stand out to me. The game unapologetically leans into nostalgia, reminding me of Diablo II and Dungeon Keeper 2 – both of which I played when I was younger. There’s so much charm in the way everything looks. Pixels are big, but the colours, despite mostly being shades of black and grey, are all blended so well that the image avoids looking too chunky.

And then there’s the particles and effects. These also look really good, and provide a nice, more modern contrast to the old-school backgrounds and UI. Going into Godstone, I was fully expecting the bloom and effects on the particles to throw me off, but they really grew on me, and I think they mix well with the other visuals to create something pretty unique. The particles can sometimes be a bit much though, especially during late-game combat, where it can be hard to differentiate between your own projectiles and the enemies’. Demented Plant seems to be aware of this problem though, and I would expect him to improve visibility in a coming update.

Enemies and NPCs mostly look great, with a few exceptions. They typically boil down to grotesque horrors from ancient mythos, knights in shining armor, or mages in gem-embellished robes. The bosses especially look great, with a lot of detail being put into them. Despite combat lacking variety, it’s hard to be bored when enemies look this good.

Progression is fun, especially with gems

By playing the game, you constantly unlock alternate “paths” with new bosses, even if your runs aren’t successful. I often found myself dying without making it to the finish line, only for my next run to introduce a boss I hadn’t seen before. This is great stuff, but I wish the levels also changed up a bit more from run to run, as I often found myself doing the same dungeons with the exact same layout as in my previous runs.

Leveling up helps a bit with run-to-run variety though, as killing enemies will reward you with skillpoints that can be spent on upgrades, which last until you either die or complete your run. Some of these upgrades are pretty cool, and can get really chaotic if enough of the same upgrade are accumulated.

What really kept me hooked throughout though, was the meta-progression. During your runs, you’ll be collecting gold and different kinds of gems. The primary use for gold is buying permanent stat-boosts in the hub, but it can also be used to purchase the aforementioned gems. Permanent stat-boosts are cool, but the ones you get from gold are minor.

It’s the gems that make the difference. These can be slotted into a big skilltree, with each type of gem providing unique boosts. More interestingly, gems can be crafted into even better tier 2 gems, which provide bigger, but also more specific boosts. And it doesn’t stop there, as the tier 2 gems can be combined into tier 3 gems where things get really crazy. Utilizing and experimenting with the gems is what makes the game replayable, and so I wish getting enough for the crazy builds was faster, as the early game without them can be pretty boring.

Conclusion

Godstone is a visual feast that oozes nostalgia. Demented Plant has managed to make shades of black and grey look good, and infusing more modern lighting techniques and effects into it has created an image that’s both pretty and unique. While the combat on its own isn’t varied enough in the beginning, late- to end-game upgrades make it a ton of fun – but only if you manage to grind your way there.

There are things to improve, but I have no doubt Demented Plant will iron out the issues. Even in it’s current state, Godstone is without a doubt worth jumping into if you’re itching for a new rogue-lite adventure.