If your health is ever as low as this, I'd advise a hasty retreat.Īlthough you are guaranteed to go back to square one (quite literally in this case) upon death, Runestone Keeper has a few upgrades to help you along the way. The game can then become too repetitive because of this for all but the most appreciative genre fans. Even when luck seems to be on your side and you are decked in the best gear, enemy placements on one particular floor could turn the tables in an instant and almost guarantee your demise, thus causing you to lose all your progress as you're thrown back to the start. Special enemies and bosses, different playable characters and extra modes appear to be locked behind the blockade of successfully tackling every single floor, but making it that far is easier said than done. However, when those mechanics are relied upon so heavily to the point in which you miss out on all the game can offer, it can be frustrating. Roguelites regularly pride themselves on incorporating permanent death and randomisation to both add challenge and entice players into staying longer in the game than they usually would.

This is where Runestone Keeper's mechanics let it down. However, due to the very nature of the game and its randomisation, one playthrough may lavish rewards upon you floor by floor, whereas another may leave you desperately hacking away with the starting ax eight floors later. A bow or staff is also essential so that ranged enemies can be killed without any unwanted hassle. In a similar vein to your stats, try and make sure you are well equipped early on in order to gain the upper hand as quickly as possible. Enemies have the chance of dropping valuable equipment or vendors may crop up on one of the tiles, offering tantalising goodies in exchange for the gold you have been accruing on your travels. You have a little more choice in equipment due to the fact you are given two equipment loads to work with. Therefore it is advised that you try and stick to a specific playstyle so you have the best possible chance of progressing up floors without the risk of death. Strength, dexterity, intelligence, and stamina are your core stats, but only one can be levelled up by one point whenever you gain a new level. Like any RPG, Runestone Keeper allows you to level up and gain better equipment. The more of the grid you uncover, the more dangers you will find. These three aspects of character management help to add another layer of depth to what is a simple and accessible game. You will find many of these at regular intervals so it is worth deducing which item is better being left behind in place of a more useful item for your current situation. Up to three items can be equipped at a time and they have varying effects. Soul points are acquired as you naturally uncover more of the grid and these are consumed whenever an item is used. Mana sits in tandem with your abilities, one of which is always unlocked at the beginning of all playthroughs, so it's also important keep tabs on how much mana you currently have and grab any opportunity to unlock more abilities to hinder the power of enemies. Permadeath is a core aspect of Runestone Keeper, so one must always be on the lookout for the hearts of life scattered throughout each floor. For those who are unacquainted with the genre or are expecting something a little more riveting, it may prove difficult to enjoy at first, but as you progress further into a dungeon, more gameplay options start to open up.Īside from exploring the grid, your own character has health, mana and soul points to manage, with health obviously being the most important. This mechanic is incredibly simple as it amounts to essentially just clicking on squares to progress. All of these stand between you and the exit, and it is entirely up to you whether you escape straight to the next floor upon discovering the exit or continue your exploration for extra rewards and encounters. A tile may either possess an environmental trap, which is obviously detrimental to your health, a special item for you to save and use later, or an enemy to be defeated or potentially avoided. If you want to find the exit and escape, keep clicking on more tiles!Īs you begin on each floor, you must continue to reveal more of the grid until you reach specific scenarios.

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