Versebound

I am not the biggest player of horde survival games, although I have played a bit of games like [i]Vampire Survivors[/i] and [i]20 Minutes Until Dawn[/i]. So when I tried Versebound, the genre was not entirely unfamiliar. [h1]For those who don't like reading, to put it short:[/h1] This is a game with nice visuals, a lovely unique aesthetic and a fitting, at first punishing difficulty which when used to, becomes a fun challenge to get stronger and make yourself feel unstoppable! [h2]Try this especially if you're already into horde survival games, and if the genre is unfamiliar then expect to spend at least a couple hours getting used to the overwhelming survival vibes![/h2] [h1]Longer version:[/h1] The visuals are extremely nice and well thought out, and the aesthetic of the Finnish mythology of Kalevala was a good choice. The design of the world and the characters fit that narrative very well. As a Finn I am very much pleased. As for the gameplay, the first few rounds (around 45 minutes) were quite hard and the difficulty felt even a little frustrating – I don’t remember facing as much escalation in challenge in Vampire Survivors, for example. But after getting accustomed to the controls, aiming and different abilities you unlock when surviving, the game became progressively more fun. By the time you get your first round where you survive for at least 10-15 minutes, you truly start getting the hang of the gameplay. That being said, I maybe wouldn’t recommend this to someone as their first ever horde survival game, since from the very beginning minutes it is extremely punishing for those who do not have experience with the genre. Of course, if a person has previous experience with these types of games, OR is willing to spend an hour or two facing that the game is purposefully hard and maybe even demoralizing at points, but still willing to learn and overcome these challenges, I would say they are a part of the right target audience! I played the demo before and only recently got my hands on this full version, but I can safely say that I'm excited to play more and see what kinds of challenges the game has to offer!

Perkele

Rakki sent me here.

Action roguelike fully of whimsy and character :)

The world feels really unique, and I love the background music. But the game itself is super hard right from the start, and the messages felt a bit too harsh. I hope they make the early part easier and the tutorials more friendly.

So far it is a nice Bullet hell rogue like with an interesting narrative that keeps you playing.

Entered woods and killed things with stale bread... 10/10

An EXTREMELY DIFFICULT roguelike survivor game with plenty to unlock and keep ya coming back for more punishment. It took me awhile to get good enough to INCREMENTALLY upgrade my starting character with some white currants and artifact unlocks, and then I was eventually able to beat Tapio (the first world's boss), and now I have a new character and map to explore, as well as a new artifact slot. It's sooooo challenging, and sooooo satisfying!!

I have been playing Vampire Survivors lately and it is quite natural to compare Versebound to it. VS left me hoping for some more nuanced game mechanics and less flashing lights (I got serious Tetris effect from the game). Versebound thus far is giving me a bit more nuance in gameplay and a more interesting visual setting. Can't wait to (I assume) meet Väinämöinen!

I've been going down a bullet heaven/action rogueLITE (I really wish people would get the terminology right) rabbit hole, uninstalling almost as many games as I check out. Even though I wish there was controller support, and have not yet put a lot of time into the game, I have absolutely enjoyed my time with Versebound and will be keeping it in my rotation.