ScourgeBringer is a fast-paced roguelite platformer developed by Flying Oak Games and published by Dear Villagers. The game was first released on February 6, 2020, and has multiple ports on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. Now, it’s finally leaped onto the PlayStation 4 & PS Vita. If you’re expecting a gaming experience that’s the equivalent to a casual walk in the park, then beware because ScourgeBringer is the furthest thing from forgiving.
The game centers around Kyhra, a young hero that’s been tasked to uncover the secrets of an Eldritch monolith that is threatening to destroy her world. With the help of her robotic companion, Blast .32, Kyhra must explore an infinite and ever-changing dungeon to reach her goal while carving a path forward through waves of demonic enemies, gigantic bosses, mechanical menaces, and so much more.
After completing the game’s tutorial, you’ll immediately be thrown straight into the action as you’re tasked to beat the main boss of the level in order to move forward. You’ll have to explore a procedurally generated map that’s comprised of single area challenge rooms, which will lock after you enter and require you to eliminate all the enemies before you can move on. Thankfully, there’s a map that can help track your progress and will allow you to warp to already explored areas after unlocking a certain ability. To beat the main boss, you’ll have to defeat the mini-boss first which will open up the final boss room.
To make it out of these dungeons alive, it’s imperative to utilize all of Kyhra’s abilities to the fullest. Along with a basic sword slash, you also have a heavy smash attack that can briefly stun enemies and knockback enemy projectiles, which is very handy when you face off against particularly irritating bosses. After doing enough damage with your sword, you’ll also be powering up your second weapon which is a powerful energy gun that you can fire at your enemies from afar. Last but not least is the dash attack that allows you to fly towards enemies and unleash a flurry of attacks in mid-air. Even with all these incredible moves at your disposal, your chances of survival are still slim and require you to think several steps ahead. It’s also important to think about each move carefully and not rush into battle recklessly because you’re guaranteed to take a few hits, which is a lesson I learned the hard way. The combat flows incredibly well and also gave me a rush of adrenaline as I tried to stay on my toes every second. Doing damage to an enemy is also oddly satisfying, as you can easily feel the weight of each sword slash hitting against them.
While traversing through the dungeon, make sure to be on the lookout for various landmarks as well that can provide other tools and upgrades. These include blood alters, which can give Kyhra a passive perk that you’ll keep for the rest of that dungeon run. There can also be various shops scattered around the area where you can buy health, weapon, and perk upgrades using blood, in-game currency of ScourgeBringer. The only way to collect blood is by defeating enemies. Then there are the challenge rooms, which are high-risk, high-reward. Unlike the normal rooms, these are particularly difficult as they spawn several waves of enemies that can pose a threat if you’re not prepared. If you manage to achieve victory, then you are gifted various upgrades that can prove useful going forward.
As you can expect from the roguelite nature of ScourgeBringer, if you are defeated in battle then you’ll have to start all over again and trust me you’ll be dying a lot. Once that happens, you will be sent back to the hub area called The Chiming Tree and will have to do the first level over again no matter how far you progressed. On the plus side, you’ll be able to access Kyhra’s skill tree and can purchase permanent upgrades using Judge Blood Tokens, which you can receive either by defeating bosses or from the blood alters. Some of these upgrades include increasing your max HP, giving you access to high damage moves like Fury, and unlock a combo meter which can help you receive more blood per kill.
If I haven’t made it clear enough already, ScourgeBringer is a very difficult game in more ways than one. There will be many times your patience will be tested, causing you to lose control and die by a random jellyfish monster. It’s important to come into each dungeon run with a clear head and adapt to the game’s mechanics, whether it’s learning the attack patterns of a particular boss or planning out which room to go into next. It also helps to clear all the areas on the map if possible since you’ll be rewarded with powerful upgrades that can prove useful when going up against the boss. The game does show mercy in the settings where it can let you set the number of health drops and the enemies’ bullet speed just to make things a little easier. Some of these are more game-breaking than others, but it’s better to play the way that provides a more enjoyable experience for you.
Once you adjust to the difficulty aspect, ScourgeBringer is a fun and action-packed game that you will truly get your blood flowing. The visuals of the enemies and dungeon maps are vibrant and appealing at first but can become tiresome once you’re on your thirtieth run. It’s not a game for everyone because the frustration factor can only push you so far, which may cause you to either turn on the invincibility setting or quit altogether. In this way, the game alienates gamers who are not looking for a stressful and hardcore challenge. Regardless, Flying Oak Games’ latest roguelite is a welcome addition to the PlayStation 4 library and is certainly worth your blood, sweat, and tears.
8.5/10
Check Out the ScourgeBringer PlayStation Trailer:
For more information, please visit: https://dearvillagers.com/project/scourgebringer/
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PlayStation 4 Review
I've loved playing video games ever since I first played Battletoads on the NES when I was a kid. Since then, I've played a wide variety of games on different systems, including Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and have mostly gravitated towards open-world RPGs and action-adventure games with amazing storylines and character arcs. I'm passionate when comes to writing and interested in working as a narrative designer.
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