ScourgeBringer is another rogue-like in the endless sea of rogue-likes we have in the market. With a claim on its Steam page saying it's a combination of Dead Cells and Celeste, it certainly lives up to the claim in that it brings nothing new or unique to the genre, though one can argue it doesn't need to when Dead Cells …
ScourgeBringer is another rogue-like in the endless sea of rogue-likes we have in the market. With a claim on its Steam page saying it's a combination of Dead Cells and Celeste, it certainly lives up to the claim in that it brings nothing new or unique to the genre, though one can argue it doesn't need to when Dead Cells and Celeste are already very successful and popular games so why change it up? Unfortunately, I don't think Scourgebringer in any capacity lives up to the insanely tight controls and platforming of both games, nor the combat of Dead Cells.
Personally, I believe Rogue-likes ultimately fall under two different styles. One where you have to ability to play different builds (or try to) each run (Slay the Spire, One step from Eden), and one where there are no builds and instead you gradually upgrade your character with each subsequent run, or within the run itself. Scourgebringer falls under the latter, and while I have problems with both styles, I think the latter one always feels very limited and uninteresting no matter how tight or clean its combat/gameplay is. It ultimately falls into a pattern of repetition where you're going through the motions of clearing levels you've seen countless times already, with no real builds to shake things up. While Scourgebringer's combat is certainly challenging, fast-paced, and to some extent satisfying, I couldn't see myself playing the game any longer past finishing a single run. Every run is generally the same with your gun being the only thing that can ever change the gameplay. Even fully upgrading your character will do very little to shake things up. Rather, it will make the game far easier and you'll be zooming through stages in combination with very overpowered guns that can shred bosses and enemies alike. Quite frankly, I think the only threat to you after a certain point is your own character's attack animation. Your attacks will auto lock on to enemies once you're close to them but also shift your character in the direction you're attacking, which means you'll often find yourself taking unnecessary damage from stage hazards or because the movement shift put you right on top of a passing enemy projectile. It's honestly infuriating at times because you have very little control of where your character will shift to once you start attacking an enemy. Your dashes also lock on to enemies once you're a certain distance away and creates the same problems as well with the addition of you running into walls alot more often than the enemy itself.
With all that said, I don't think it's a bad game by any means. The few hours I put in were enjoyable at the very least and I'm sure its fast paced combat is one meant to encourage going as fast as you can and fans of this are sure to find a solid amount of replayability in the game, especially if the combat clicks with you. Eventually, as is per the case in rogue-likes now, you'll unlock difficulty modifiers that will make runs more challenging by means you're probably already familiar with. Less max hp, more enemy hp, more aggressive bosses, no upgrades allowed, etc etc. While I myself don't think there's any merit in handicapping myself and making things more frustrating, especially when the combat gets repetitive fairly quickly, those who enjoy the combat are sure to have fun playing with the modifiers.
