Xbox/PC GamesPass BUFFET #1: INTO THE PIT

An oldschool fps roguelite with a stylishly granular presentation to fit the bill. It hearkens back to the glory days of Hexen, so with that, I gladly dove Into the Pit.

Except that I only dabbled for an hour or two and uninstalled.

Admittedly, my own temporary distaste for difficulty combined with the immediate need for care-free escapism caused this decision. In hindsight, Into The Pit wasn't the best choice but it is still a scrappy experience with some room for improvement. Consider this to be a terribly incomplete review.

The look and sound design stands out. It envelops you with theme, stoking embers of suspense while heart pounding music strikes in moments of action, heavily inspired from Doom 2016. Not a bad thing.

The classic strafing glide and soaring jumps of oldschool FPS is here. While the weapons of choice lie in the players on-screen left and right hands. Constant dual wielding is imbued with magical modifications that mimic standard FPS weapons, with RPG effects ( poison, curse, bleed etc.) The demons found are vicious but predictable. Cathartic to blast them to bits but overconfidence opened me up to quick punishment. Leading to an untimely death and the pain of the roguelite restart. The gameplay is most fun with its blistering speed and unleashed chaos, yet the roguelike nature punishes the natural inclination to go hog wild. Turning choatic carnage into cautious cheese.

Each layer of The Pit comes with four rooms. Clear a room and receive a new modification of your magical abilities for each hand. Clearing all four rooms opens up another layer deeper into the pit. Each room is divided by a choice of two 'mote' types. These motes act as collectible items, corresponding to purchasable relics and skills in town that can be brought with you into each new run. Pushing your luck to grab more motes or return back to the safety of the town is a reliable hook. Collecting motes feels just as good as collecting ammo would in Quake. The sound of the confident thunk is rewarding each time.

Despite these things working well enough, I found myself tired at the idea of going through the stop and go trappings of its roguelike design. The modifications available for your attack repertoire, carve out your desired play style fairly well but feel interchangeable without great effect in the early levels. I hope this feeling is from the very limited playtime I've put into the game.

My curiosity still tempts me to see what lies below but I currently don't have the patience. That being said, Into The Pit still maintains my respect for another delving in the future.