Developer: Snowy Productions
Publisher: Black Shell Media
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Virtual Rogue – Review
Not that long ago we featured several roguelike (or roguelite) games on the site, such as the fantasy engorged Ziggurat and the steampunk action packed Rogue Stormers. Today we feature yet another roguelike game, but in a totally different setting. We return to a pixilated style that revolves completely around computer chips and the files that make your computer run smoothly. Virtual Rogue does an effort to set an original tone with its appearance but we weren’t completely convinced by the mechanics of this game, as they tended to go rogue on us from time to time.
Story
There is no actual story to be found in this game and while it doesn’t need one, it would have been nice to get at least something worth mentioning. While the vague description of the game states a cruel and merciless user is in control of the computer, and you’ll have to fight to survive in the bowels of said machine, it’s still a missed opportunity in our book.
Graphics
Graphically Virtual Rogue will not put your computer to the test, but the developers went for a rather cute pixilated look that revolves around computer parts, file icons you’d find on your desktop and so on. This style is rather original and it might not be extremely diverse as many items are being overused, it’s still quite fun to look at. The bright colors will make things clear and the enemies you come across have fluent animations. Other than that, simplicity reigns supreme and it works well for this title.
The only mishap that ruins the experience are the unappealing visuals of the menu, be it because they simply look unfinished or that there is no clarity at all. It’s sad that the game’s overall cute style was nowhere to be seen throughout the layout of the menus.
Sadly there are other issues that don’t have any influence to the esthetics of the game, but more on the gameplay side. Occasionally the game will offer you an explanation for some items or actions you can perform, but more than often the text doesn’t fit the screen, forcing you to try out things yourself, which afterwards are still not clear.
Sound
While the soundtrack will not immediately blow your mind, the tunes prove to be rather upbeat and pleasant to listen to. Even though the few tracks the game has to offer, keep looping over and over, they never truly become a bother. Simple SFX accompany the retro soundtrack perfectly and given the setting of the game, things fit together quite nicely.
Gameplay
Virtual Rogue is roguelike game, where you’ll have to put your skills to the test if you want to make any progress or attempt to beat the game. Every time you die, you’ll have to start over from zero, fighting your way back through all the levels, over and over again. There are only a limited amount of tools to help you on your way to the end battle, but even those will not aid you enough if you don’t play carefully.
Honestly there is not that much depth to be found in this game, and for the genre it finds itself in there is not that much need for it either. You’ll be running and gunning your way through the different layers of computer-themed levels and along the way you’ll be able to pick up some power-ups, active ones or passive upgrades, along the way. You’ll notice that this game is actually quite slow at the beginning, but if you’re able to survive for longer periods of time you’ll see the speed slowly getting amped up.
While on paper Virtual Rogue is great, the overall experience starts to become a lot less pleasant due to unexplained items, options that make no sense and most of all, gameplay mechanics that feel aged simply unfinished. Even though the game has twin stick mechanics, you can only fire in the four main directions, which makes aiming horribly tedious. Not only is the aiming extremely imprecise, you’ll have to make do with a character that shoots extremely slowly at the beginning and if you’re unlucky, for the remainder of your attempt of finishing the game. Another note is that at the beginning you’ll only have one of a handful of characters and it takes ages to unlock a new character.
Those who want to spice things up will be able to choose from several different game modes, which only seem to influence your enemies. While the Normal mode offers beatable enemies, the Immortal mode grants your foes with loads of HP and the Swarm mode just literally throws hordes of enemies in front of you. That being said, you’ll struggle with the Normal mode more than enough before you will be able to properly take on the other ones.
Conclusion
Virtual Rogue initially hit all the right files when it came to its appearance and quirkiness but the entire experience is held back by shoddy mechanics, which feel unfinished or something from a long lost age. With some tune-ups this game could become a memorable roguelike experience, but in its current state it leaves us with mixed emotions.
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