Death's Gambit (2018)

This game is a 2D action-RPG that mixes Soulslike combat with Metroidvania exploration. Its pixel art and gothic atmosphere are striking, creating a world that feels both haunting and beautiful. The story, centered on a pact with Death, adds to the moody tone and gives the game a distinct identity compared to its inspirations. And the main theme of this game is pretty much very well explored since dying is very easy on this title, and has some mechanics surrounding it.

The exploration is one of its strongest aspects, with interconnected areas, shortcuts, and secrets that reward curiosity. The unique death mechanic, where you lose healing plumes instead of currency, adds a refreshing risk, reward layer to progression. This also somewhat forces a more aggressive play-style compared to other games of the same sub-genre, not really an issue for me, but I can see some people not enjoying this. The boss fights also stand out for their design and scale, often feeling like highlights of the journey.

Unfortunately, the combat doesn’t always live up to the promise when it comes to it's execution, movement and attacks can feel sluggish and unresponsive, which makes encounters more frustrating than challenging. The stamina system is punishing in ways that discourage experimentation, and the more aggressive nature of this game is sometimes overwhelming, even more so than games like Bloodborne.

While this title has plenty of ambition and undeniable style, its rough edges hold it back from greatness. For people who can forgive clunky controls and value atmosphere, world design, and mood above all else, it can still be a memorable adventure. Despite it's flaws I highly recommend this, it is one of the best Metroidvania Soulslikes that I've ever played, I consider it a must-play for fans of this sub-genre.

Am I really as stupid as everyone my whole life has told me I am, or have games become needlessly obtuse and confusing for the sheer sake of it? Playing things like Death's Gambit, Sundered, and countless other titles, titles which have all been very acclaimed and enjoyed, leaves me feeling like perhaps I really am just as dumb as people have told me I am. Is there something wrong with me? I mean, I know there is, but jeez.

I miss my game boy.

Nope, the combat didn't stay fresh. I used the same weapon for the entire game because the upgrade system pushes you to grind for resources if you ever want to switch to something new.

The formula is still compulsively satisfying, you're constantly picking up stuff and making progress. But the moment to moment level design is dull, the world design is both overly linear and tediously sprawling, and the movement upgrades for travelling through the world are wholly unimaginative. A few of the bosses are conceptually nifty, but too many others rely on hordes of minions to create challenge.

This game was sitting around in my Steam library and apparently just received a big update, so I decided to check it out. It's yet another 2D indie Soulslike, but it's got a nice look, solid movement fundamentals, and several neat little tweaks to the formula.

Classes have unique ability trees rather than just starting with different stats, and it looks like there's an option to pick a second class later on. Mana is passively restored by fighting, so spells and Weapon Arts feel better integrated into the normal flow of combat. You can use 2 weapons at once instead of switching between them, you can trade in Estus flasks at bonfires for better damage output, and every boss you defeat immediately spawns an optional, much tougher, rematch that nets you a piece of unique gear if you manage to win.

Tougher enemies also seem like they're designed with attacks that can hit on the backswing or otherwise counter the "roll behind the enemy to win" problem that Salt and Sanctuary and other 2D Souls clones have struggled with, which gives me hope that the combat can stay fresh throughout the game.

I've played this now from start to midgame, and then from start again to near end-game, and not completed it either time....and I'm not invested enough to go back for a third run to finish. Let me explain.

The first time, I took what looked like a balanced character to see what my play-style would be and how I'd like to work with the mechanics and stuff. Well, the character I picked and the weapon style (death acolyte I think it was) and the default scythe was good in the beginning, but fails to scale..so my damage output wasn't high enough in the late game, and there is literally no respec or other weapon options once you go down a path. Okay....fine. Restart.

This time I selected the noble and went with a more standard sword. I breeze through the early content since I've done it once and know the boss tactics.... I get to a point in the plot near the end (and stop reading here if you don't want spoilers)... where all of the NPC's are saying that working for death is not good and I should consider my actions and mediate on my choices. So, I did what I thought I was supposed to do and tore up the Death Contract in my inventory. They even warn you that this is bad...but it wouldn't have been the first time a game was deceptive...so I did it anyway.

Unfortunately, the game wasn't lying, and the next death wiped my save game...with less than ten percent left of the content.

Needless to say, I went to YouTube and watched the last boss I needed to work through and I'm done with the game.

In the end, this wasn't a bad game. It was enjoyable and a decent take on the Souls-like genre....but I found my fun, and moved along when I got too frustrated to redo the game.

I wish that the messaging around what I did had been clearer, but I guess that's on me. It was an enjoyable 10-15 or so hours in general. There's a lot of room for growth, but overall, a solid game.

That said, I won't go back and revisit it...it was just ...capital "F" Fine. Not something I'd recommend if you had to pay large sums for it...but if you have it in your library, and like Souls-like, go for it.

~David.