Rogue-like Necropolis Invades Consoles

Hey all. I’m back with another Roguelike game for review! It’s Necropolis!

GiN originally reviewed Necropolis on the PC, where it received a respectable 3 ½ GiN Gems. The PC game was plagued with launch problems, but got better with the brutal edition, which was basically a giant patch to fix those issues. Now making the jump to consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game start as brutal editions, meaning they are all patched up. But the transition from a PC to a console game is not always a smooth one, so let’s see how Necropolis did.

Will the baddest of the bad, please stomp forward?
Will the baddest of the bad, please stomp forward?

Plot Synopsis: The game’s plot involves an archmage named Abraxis as he travels to a secret underground tomb to practice magic far from civilization.

Plot: The plot is pretty non existent, but what is there doesn’t make much sense. Of course it’s also fairly humorous if you like randomness, but it still nonsensical.

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Gameplay: This plays a lot like a poorly made version of Dark Souls, where Dark Souls had polish and refinement, Necropolis has poor copies of similar mechanics. That isn’t to say it’s a straight up clone of Dark Souls, far from it. However, frankly I had a lot more fun play Dark Souls III and dying repeatedly over the frustration I experienced in Necropolis.

I smite thee in the name of, well smiting!
I smite thee in the name of, well smiting!

There aren’t bonfires in Necropolis that would allow a player to retry portions over and over again to learn from their mistakes. Instead a death here leads to you having to restart from the beginning completely, and that frankly can be too frustrating. Now, I understand that’s the draw of Roguelike games, but I still find that the ability to have checkpoints is preferable over just having the game tell you “okay you lost, now start all over again!”

Art: The art isn’t amazing, but it’s not the worst I’ve seen of this generation. However, it’s definitely got a lower rank for art compared to other console RPGs.

I shall not pass! Wait, sure I will.
I shall not pass! Wait, sure I will.

Music: The music is okay, but nothing really stood out for me.

Overall: This is an easily skippable game for anyone other than a hardcore Roguelike fan. If rouges are your thing, then Necropolis can give you those thrills on your console of choice.

For those who like: Roguelikes, Difficult Games, Frustration.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

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Michael Blaker
I'm a gamer, and voracious reader. I love stories of all kinds, except Twilight, and will partake in any meal subsisting of any type of medium. Raised in the Pacific Northwest and an avid admirer of Japanese culture and language.