Ah, Minesweeper: the internet’s favorite game about stressfully navigating a warzone. …and I don’t mean Twitter. It’s a simple concept: click a block, look at the numbers, try not to explode! And, I suppose if you’re smart enough you can tell what the numbers mean too. But the game itself is outdated: its so old that you can play it on Google! What Minesweeper needs is a modern twist: some real stakes, some more engaging gameplay than guesswork and sudoku.
Enter Lets! Revolution!, a roguelike take on the classic game with an artistic flair. Developed by esteemed animation house BUCK and equally-glamorous Antfood audio studio in their combined first foray into game design, it is a marvel of sights and sounds that take a rather unique stab at Minesweeper… and I mean that literally. Set in the kingdom of Beebom, our tale tells the story of a pompous, arrogant King and the rebels that dare to defy him. Of course, being a complete coward, the King has hidden himself at the end of one of his roads, and its up to you to find him. This is where the main element of Minesweeper kicks in, as each non-road tile has a number to represent the number of road tiles surrounding it in a 3 by 3 area. (Essentially, the square around it) Using this, you can maneuver around the road to get a feel of where it twists, turns, and ends.
But sometimes you can’t continue without stepping onto the path, which is dangerous business: the King’s lackeys, servants, loyalists, and other assorted fools are hiding in the shadows along the road, and while you know the number, you do not know where they are. You don’t want to go wandering head-first into an enemy, as you’d most likely wind up wandering head-first into their swords. That’s where the second twist on the classic formula kicks in, and I mean that literally: it’s time to ATTACK! Swing, stab, and slash at unknown tiles along the road to clear the path and knock some sense into the baddies hiding along it. Outside of revealing the tiles in their attack range and dealing damage, your attacks also reset the enemy’s charge meter, which build’s up every turn. Whenever it gets full, they attack you no matter where you are on the board, so its wise to take them down before they get the chance. Of course, it wouldn’t be challenging if you could just slash away all you’d like: each attack has both a cooldown and a stamina cost, and the only way to get more stamina… depends on the character. However, usually it requires you to check more of the board that you haven’t explored, leading to the difficult balance of exploration and risk-taking.
The end of the road may not always lead to the King, but you won’t find yourself in Rome: instead, all roads lead to upgrades and the comrades-in-arms who’ll help you defy the moron monarch. Be it a treasure chest of gold to spend, an upgrading workout with the trainer Gemma, a spending spree at Chovy’s shop, or a new ability from The Smith, you’ll never be upset to realize the King is hiding in another castle- er, I mean at the end of another road. Gemma is an incredibly useful friend to have, as she can help improve the efficiency of both your passive abilities and active attacks. Just keep in mind that you can only improve one at a time, and you only have enough stamina to train with her once per map. (She’s correct when she says that you’ll feel it in the morning.) Chovy is a wonderful salesman and always carries an assortment of goodies: from full health Sushi, to health and energy capacity upgrades, they’ve got it all! And let’s not forget that they always carry a resupply of any ammunition you’d need, plus a few rarities amongst their odds and ends. The best shop west of Walrus surely has no equal! Of course, that’s not to ignore the enigma that is The Smith: this mysterious robotic figure is capable of pulling nearly anything out of the darkened void at their core. They claim that many things are possible through the void, and fortunately that means that they can help you. Just be sure not to look to close into the void, lest it look back.
On the subject of looking close, you might find yourself doing that quite often with how beautiful the graphics are. The team described their efforts as an attempt to match the work of the esteemed Studio Ghibli, and I would say that they succeeded. The world is stunning and satisfying to look at, and the characters are a perfect mix of adorable and action-packed. And let’s not forget to acknowledge the sound of the game, which is a perfect cherry on top of the immersive, addicting gameplay and the gorgeous graphics. For a first-time development duo, they certainly make for a wonderful team, and their work is very impressive.
Let’s! Revolution! is currently in production, and no release date has been revealed as of this review. However, a demo is available publicly, which I would highly encourage you to check out for yourself. The demo features two of the planned six playable characters, and considering the variety of gameplay styles available in just two characters, I am looking forwards to the full release. In the demo, you’ll be able to play as both the steadfast Trooper, whose massive area of effect lends itself perfectly to their focus on exploration and completely clearing the map, and the graceful Shadow, whose aim is to maneuver the board tactically and with as little information possible to leave as many tiles unturned as they can. The two are a perfect counterbalance to each other, and the sheer number of possibilities present within each of their distinct movesets pose challenges that I am excited to accept. I’m looking forwards to the full release, as well as any further games produced by the development duos. It’s obvious that they strive for excellence, as they have masterfully achieved it here. I encourage you to follow the development and to join me in Beebom at the eventual release. Until then, keep an eye on the road: you never know who might be hiding at the end of it.
You can add Let’s! Revolution! to your wishlist via Steam. Game is planned to release July 19, 2023.
Related: Reviews by Aaron Grossmann
Gaming is a passion that I, like many other people, hold near and dear to my heart. As an aspiring Game Writer and general Storyteller, I enjoy looking into the vast worlds and deep stories of every game I can. Then again, sometimes bad guys just need a good pummeling, and I am more than happy to provide!
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