Feed the Deep

[h3]60 / 100[/h3] [h3]A true Roguelike (without meta-progression) that is heavily inspired by other cave exploration titles like Wall World, but is less replayable and much more frustrating.[/h3] Yes, this game introduces some novel elements to its genre, such as the way to win each stage (it varies a bit, but generally you have to find a chunk of meat in the cave and then use it to feed a large monster), and the consoles scattered across the maps that offer mini-games inside the game. However, these things don't fix how repetitive this game can get: there are only six stages, and to be honest, they're all quite similar (they only make some changes in the victory conditions or the available items). Furthermore, the lack of meta-progression means you can't unlock new characters or equipment to introduce new elements to your next runs. To make matters worse, each stage here is made up of one big cave (instead of many small caves like in other games) and you still have to return to the entrance every 1-2 minutes without fail. Each run can get pretty long, and when you are 40 minutes in and die because you slightly miscalculated your remaining oxygen, the thought of having to repeat the exact same things all over again can make this game feel like a chore.

I played for like an hour and was fun but I didn't have the urge to keep playing. I still had a really fun hour, tho. Maybe I'll give it another chance in the future, but for the price, I think it's worth it.