ScourgeBringer

ScourgeBringer feels like Celeste after drinking 5 energy drinks and choosing violence. The movement is insanely snappy, the combat is fast, and once it clicks, it’s ridiculously satisfying. If you like fast, chaotic platformers with tight movement and a roguelike loop, this one is a blast. Also, the EULA literally has a pizza recipe. Yes, an actual pizza recipe. Found a hidden treasure in my backlog.

I really wanted to like and finish this game, but after playing for seven hours, I feel the negatives outweigh the positives to the point where it is more annoying than enjoyable. Like most roguelite games, this one has a dedicated currency (Blood) as well as your health, which is also treated as a resource. There is nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but the way it is implemented basically forces you to play the game as if it were a no-hit challenge. You have a multiplier that increases the amount of Blood you gain per kill. After killing a certain number of enemies in quick succession, the multiplier increases. If you get hit, it decreases. Again, there is nothing inherently wrong with this mechanic on paper. The problem lies in the combination of the map and enemy design. After the first stage, every room you enter spawns at least six enemies per wave. These enemies tend to blend into the environment, and every time you attack, your character creates visual effects that make it almost impossible to see the enemy you are currently fighting. Most enemies are stunlocked while you attack them, so this would not be a major problem if it were not for enemies that, for example, explode after they die. You simply cannot tell when they die because you cannot see them clearly. A similar problem arises when fighting bosses and minibosses. While attacking, it is extremely difficult to tell what the boss is about to do next. This game is extremely punishing because you lose both your multiplier and your health whenever you get hit. Health is difficult to regain, which again is not a problem in and of itself. The issue is that this creates a cascading effect: if you get hit because of some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ early on, your run is pretty much over. You can no longer spend health to buy upgrades, and since your multiplier is gone, you also earn less Blood, meaning you won't be able to afford upgrades or healing items with that either. Since getting hit will often be the result of the game's visual design choices, it becomes frustrating pretty quickly. It's a shame because the variety of enemies and bosses is great, and when you don't get screwed over by the issues mentioned above, the game can be a lot of fun. It's just that the longer you play, the harder it becomes to ignore those issues.