Unexplored Review: The Roguelite Action RPG
Indie Hour Review
Unexplored Review: A Unique Roguelite/Roguelike action RPG with a dungeon generator to keep you on your toes. What is a Roguelike game you ask? Ever heard of dungeons and dragons or random generator role-playing games? This is pretty much a random dungeon generator game and you will have to use your skills and wits to outsmart the enemies and complete the puzzles.n Unexplored is made by Ludomotion.
Unexplored offers all of this in one small package. Using the Random generator built within the game it will automatically set your challenges for you. Prepare to fight a multitude of enemies, solve some puzzles, and find some awesome treasures. The gameplay of this Dungeon RPG is not similar to others. There are no teams, squads, or groups it is just you, the explorer.
In Unexplored you will learn spells by obtaining them however they are disposable. Spells are of limited use so cast them wisely. The story is straightforward, you are on the quest for the Amulet of Yendor and you have to slay a dragon too. I will say this game is not for the heart of the impatient there are puzzles galore and sometimes you might have to go back up a level to solve it. Another thing is if you die…well you die you lose your progress and all your items unless you saved your progress. Let’s get more in-depth with the game, shall we?!
Table of Contents
Unexplored Gameplay
In RPG’s you would assume there is a unique turn based or leveling system; well that’s not included in this one! Yes, it does say action RPG doesn’t it have buttons to attack? Well not really, this is mostly all based on thrusting and spinning. I may not have played this game for long since I only managed to get to dungeon 4 1/2. Most of the battling depends on 60% of your items in my experience. Having the right items in your inventory can make a huge difference. Potions is a must or you honestly will not make it far in this game.
The slogan for this game is “Easy to Play, Easy to Die” and they are not joking. Playing the tutorial I died a couple times trying to understand how to play the game. Once that was over I said “I got this, easy” and boy was I wrong. The first dungeon had more enemies than I thought it would, it was a challenge and then I died. I’ll say in my one day of playing this game I died about maybe thirty times, which is no joke. For that reason, this game does win on the difficulty setup in my book. It’s not difficult to learn how to complete the dungeons however it can be difficult so don’t get overconfident. Misuse of an item can actually lead to your death so it’s all about strategy in the outcome. The fighting is as mentioned, spin and thrust, you can also use your items so be sure to stack and level them. The puzzles are difficult however sometimes your character can run and activate what they need to in order to assist you with the levels.
Unexplored Combat System
The combat system is real-time action. Instead of pressing a bunch of buttons and swinging like crazy you will spin and thrust the enemies. When you use your weapons it will be blacked out, at that time it’s in cooldown mode. To thrust your weapon left click on your mouse and your explorer will perform a quick jab. Running around your enemy with a decent weapon and having good timing will ensure your success in battle. It is kind of funny running around and dodging fireballs while thrusting into your opponent and running away. I really do dislike the battle system in my opinion. It isn’t as intense as other RPG battles I’ve encountered and I feel that is the main weakness in this game. The best way to fight the enemy is actually through stealth. The stealth system can make a huge difference in the battles that you will encounter which I’ll go into more depth below.
Stealth System
As mentioned earlier entering a combat in stealth is sometimes a necessity. Enemies tend to be sleeping or have trouble looking where the shadows take over, this is where using your cloak comes into play. As any rogue in many RPGs having to attack an enemy while you are in stealth gives many advantages such as damage bonuses. You can also sneak past enemies in stealth mode and avoid conflict altogether. I do take into account the stealth mode being well done as a skill for the character, it can definitely assist the player avoiding combat and staying alive.
Overall Unexplored Review
Unexplored covers the basics of standard RPGs and gives the basics with the “Easy to Play Easy to Die” motto in check. It is not too complex to get right into the game but always be wise in the decision making of items and when it is the right time to proceed to the next level. At first, this game was a little slow for me but it picks up once you get the hang of it. The frustration of dying multiple times will come through, but if you want to see how great you are at solving large amounts of puzzles and fighting for your life check out Unexplored, now available on Steam! Below is my score for this game, if I am ever in the mood for dungeon jumping and seeing if I can manage into the unknown with so little I’ll just play Unexplored, enjoy!