Another inventive and unique japanese indie game published by Waku Waku, Drunken Rogue is a master of it's own vibe and a drunken blast to play that takes it's own gimmick and makes something special out of it!
Now, at the time of review I haven't played much of the official release (mostly played the demo), but I want to get the ball rolling on an early review because I don't think it's super clear what kind of game Drunken Rogue is.
Despite being listed as a roguelike deckbuilder, this game feels more like roguelike character building game based all around DnD checks. Basically, you have 6 stats and 2 playable characters who raise them in slightly different ways. You can get gear and items to improve the stats or help you 'cheat' on checks, and the whole game is a series of checks against the stats; Unlock for opening chests, Perception for traps, you get the gist.
So, in that environment, the game seems almost sterile...what makes it so unique? Well, there are two main gimmicks, and for comedic effect, i'll leave the drunken elephant unaddressed for now.
The game has the ability to postpone checks, delaying the check and making the rewards much greater, but the check itself much higher too. While it can be reasonably assumed that you'll be more powerful in the future, you're flying closer and closer to the sun each time you do so, and if you're postponing a challenge you can't meet, you're living on borrowed time. It adds a fun risk/reward dynamic that makes winning runs feel so much better.
But even with that, there's something missing, some X-factor that really makes the game replayable right? Well, let's just say such a thing exists, and it involves booze...lots, and lots of booze.
There is another stat called Tipsiness, and at 0, your checks are totally static, meaning you need 8 Unlock to beat an 8 Unlock check. But down a bottle or two and all of a sudden your checks balloon in size, and inconsistency; they become WAY more random but on average MUCH higher, and combined with the music switching to jazzy and upbeat at high Tipsiness, and all of a sudden the game becomes a trip of manic laughter as you slaughter checks left and right and demolish anything that dare gets in your way, at least until you get a bit overeager, realise that 80% success rate is not in fact 100%, and enter the 'finding out' phase as your Tipsiness drops, the music calms down, and your character's frenetic exclamation marks!... get replaced with 3 dots as they too start coming down from the high...
And even if you don't want to play recklessly while drunk, you don't really have a choice, because there's a real nasty side effect you'll grapple with even IF you manage to fuel your healthy coping mechanism; Hallucinations. That's right, getting too drunk outright obfuscates the checks themselves, meaning you can charge forward with reckless abandon if you truly feel you can do no wrong, or use your very limited but invaluable herbs to clear up said hallucinations, at the cost of killing your buzz. It is SUCH a fun gameplay loop that really does capture the essence of drunken confidence and the ecstasy that comes with it, and this is the x-factor that really makes the game stand out and shine in my opinion.
Not to mention how there are two different characters with different playstyles that both play with this gimmick!
Now, as said prior this is an early review, so it's hard to gauge how long or difficult the game will be in its later stages (I'd like to update this when I get there), but for the earlier runs I have done, the game is accessible yet super addictive, the plot is fun and the character's are very silly, it's just a very authentic game that realises it's gimmick solidly; The drunken aspect isn't just slapped in as a joke, it's a crucial part of the gameplay too, and it makes this a truly unique and fun experience! Definitely recommend!
In order to get her hands on a cherished wine collection, rumored to be hidden away by Vampire of Demise Endo, drunken Rogue Lita makes her way to the vampire king's castle. See what story unfolds in this roguelike deck-building game.