How can you expertly mix Tetris with a game that takes full advantage of the Souls? Loot River is a perfect example of a successful hybrid.
Adventure. Mystery. Want to continue: three aspects that distinguish many videogame productions both present and past, and which basically represent a constant of our favorite medium. The desire to explore, discover the secrets of the game world and grope through the game embodies an addictive winning mix. It’s not for nothing that roguelike-type video games are having so much success lately. All these features are encapsulated in Loot Rivera new dungeon crawler that combines real-time clashes with the movement of blocks, a mechanic that, to be clear, is close to that of the Tetris universe.
Tetris and death
Despite being yet another exponent of a widely explored genre, Loot River has a distinct identity. Its peculiarity, promoted a lot in pre-launch marketing campaigns, is the presence of a Tetris-style mechanic that, against all odds, has proven to work great. The work with an isometric view calls us to take on the role of an unknown warrior endowed with the power of the Relic, an artifact that allows us to move the “tetromines” of this mysterious world.
Due to unclear circumstances, hidden in the meanders of the interesting lore, the places where the adventure takes place have been completely flooded but on the other hand filled with floating platforms that can be moved at will to advance, provided that something does not prevent it from running. At the center of the control system there are the two analogues, with the left one used to move the character and the right one in charge of controlling the tetrominoes.
By virtue of this peculiar feature, it is the game itself that recommends the use of the pad. Bouncing from one piece to another, the warrior will also have to play cunning, in an experience capable of amalgamating action and puzzle in a rather intriguing way.
This mechanics of moving tetrominoes seemed to us to be really successful and fits perfectly both with the playful economy and with the fascinating theater of the warrior’s deeds: a dark fantasy world that winks at the nightmare scenarios typical of Lovecraft’s imagination.
A hard and pure roguelike
Like any self-respecting roguelike, even in Loot River we find typical elements of the genre such as permadeath, a very steep learning curve and also procedural settings. After each departure, you will clearly have to start from scratch and if you decide not to spend the resources accumulated in the run just ended, these would be lost. In any case, the journeys will start in Sanctuary, the main hub of the game, which in addition to giving access to the levels will allow you to buy weapons and upgrade the character. Here you will get acquainted with Iphis, a woman who will not only confer immortality on the protagonist but also an arudo task: to find a way to break an ancient curse. From Sanctuary you can move to the first game map, a submerged village where you can learn the rudiments of combat, thanks to the presence of different enemies with pre-established abilities.
In this regard, the title of Straka.studio will provide us with numerous moves to tear the flesh of the opponents, from the basic attack, to the charged one, up to the dodge and the parry system. By knocking down opponents it will be possible to gain experience and level up, and then spend the points collected to increase the five basic statistics.
During our adventure in the dungeons we will meet the inevitable chests that will give us rewards such as weapons, money, rings or modifiers (the latter we will learn more about later). The aforementioned rings offer numerous bonuses to the playerfrom the possibility of releasing lightning bolts after a series of hits, up to the resurrection after a death and the more or less considerable increase in statistics.
Furthermore, our tools of death will be able to boast skills for all tastes, which will come in handy during our journey into the unknown, from the creation of lightning, to the evocation of a shield capable of parrying all the blows, up to the invisibility. Occasionally during the exploration we will find several NPCs who – after interaction – will return to the Sanctuary and then offer us their services, including new weapons, spells and clothes. To obtain the goods we have just mentioned, it will be necessary to obtain gold coins and “knowledge”, a currency without which it will be impossible to buy permanent objects.
Overcoming dungeons will certainly temper the player’s spirit, who will be able to recover energy with potions to be used at the most appropriate time.Four miserable flasks on the other hand will not work miracles and this is where a pivotal system of Loot River will come into play: potion investing. There will be a character – called Soap – who at the entrance of each level will ask us to invest our healing concoctions and, based on how many we will entrust to the NPC, upon our return to the Sanctuary we will receive double.
So you will understand well that deciding what to do will be a real dilemma: entrust Soap with the potions and have a long-term advantage or keep them for support when needed? In essence, we are talking about a bet that will require a pinch of strategy and above all the ability to estimate the actual threat represented by specific enemies. In reality, to be honest, it will be possible to heal from wounds using special rings but at first the use of potions is certainly the recommended solution.
In the middle of a dark dungeon
How does soulslike gameplay lend itself to Tetris-related mechanics? Incredibly well, to be honest, because the ability to manage the land makes the clashes much more adrenaline, dynamic and above all strategic. In command of a platform
for example we can choose to isolate the strongest enemy or to prick the lesser minions to death. We really appreciated all the different approaches to decimate our opponents, using both brute force and intelligence. Also worth mentioning are the modifiers, objects that we will find during the exploration of the dungeons that will allow us to change the game world according to our will. To give some examples, we can decide to reduce the width of a given map, increase or add enemies, change the difficulty to receive more succulent rewards, summon “mid-bosses” and much more.
In short, the playful dough is valuable but it is not free from problems in the field of hitboxes, because the enemies sometimes fail to hit the protagonist for unknown reasons. Also noteworthy is their tendency to suddenly cancel moves in favor of others, which unfortunately characterizes the same bosses of the game.
Eyes and ears satisfied
On the visual front, the bleak and gloomy settings that form the backdrop to the adventure are beautifully crafted, with pixel art curated in every detail. For example, water is beautifully represented in every wave and ripple and even the dark fantasy scenarios and enemies inspired by Lovecraft’s monstrosities have managed to pierce the screen.
To accompany the player there will also be a splendid soundtrack, which will be able to perfectly underline every moment of the experience, from the electronic sounds of the clashes with the bosses, to the Celtic melodies dedicated to the exploration of the Sanctuary. In short, the creature of Straka Studio surprised uspresenting an excellently packaged final product with deep mechanics, which actually allowed it to stand out from the crowd.
Loot RiverXbox Series X Analyzed VersionLoot River is a complete, difficult and well packaged work. A unique mechanic that of the Tetris-style platforms, which lends itself well to the game world created by the guys of Straka Studio. Too bad for the mole represented by that problem with the hitboxes and animations of certain characters. Overall, however, the game is more than good, fun, challenging and will keep you hooked for a long time.
