Let’s be honest, the rogue-lite has become a little too ubiquitous in 2019. Along with RPG levelling, procedurally generated levels and pixel art graphics, this once fresh and exciting sub-genre has arguably become more rote than riveting. And yet, despite the fact Streets of Rogue features all of the above, it’s somehow managed to dodge many of these issues, offering a very silly yet incredibly deep top-down adventure. And how does it do it? By really embracing the ‘role’ in role-playing game…
In the world of Rogue, a power-hungry mayor has confiscated all alcohol, installed a police state and - for reasons unknown - turned chicken nuggets into a more lucrative currency than gold itself. As a newly minted member of The Resistance, you’ll need to fight your way up from the Slums, through the Industrial area, to the faux-outdoors Park, into Downtown and finally into the domain of the Mayor himself in Uptown. Each level is represented by a series of interlocking rooms, corridors and open-area with an art style not too dissimilar to The Escapists or Enter the Gungeon.
You start out with access to six different classes, but there are actually a total of 24 to unlock throughout the game. Well, we say ‘classes’, but they’re really vocations, each with their own unique loadout, abilities and missions. A soldier, for instance, will enter a level with a machine gun and a set of explosives, enabling them to blow walls apart and lay waste to any guard, while the thief can turn invisible and will need to loot the contents of any nearby safe. Each level has a main story goal you'll need to complete before you can ascend to the next level, but having unique quests for each style of character makes each run completely different.
When you start unlocking some of the more unusual vocations - such as a gorilla who can’t use any weapons but his own fists while simultaneously attempting to free his fellow apes - you realise just how much potential there is for multiple playthroughs. Rogue-lites are all about the cycle of life and death, with one run flowing into the next as you die and restart from the beginning, but Streets of Rogue breaks this monotonous cycle by offering tons of variables to keep you interested. When you unlock the comedian, you’ll need to kill someone with a banana peel (a classic gag) while practising your new material on the denizens around you. It’s Syndicate by way of Terry Pratchett, with a sense of humour that’s happy to laugh at just about anything.
Each level layout is randomised, so you’re often having to think on the fly when it comes to the string of missions you’ll need to complete. Further quests can be obtained from quartermasters on each floor or in moments of systemic gameplay - such as a thief who runs into your path (who you can kill or join in order to share the spoils), so there’s always a means of earning gold and XP. You can start buying useful items such as rocks (for destroying explosive laser barriers), lock picks and hacking tools. Homeowners will accost you if you enter their premises uninvited, but you could tap on a window to distract them, or hack their computer from outside. The sheer number of options you have makes each run more of an exercise in role-play than simply another generic knight looting a dungeon.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed with the amount of agency Rogue offers, and some players might be a little put off by a game that enables you to change the appearance of every character, while introducing gameplay modifiers that alter the behaviour of enemies or the composition of the level you’re about to explore. You can get to choose passive boosts that further enhance your character class every time you level up (such as being harder to hit when enemies use melee weapons). Add in support for local and online co-op with up to three other players (where using multiple classes really comes into play) and you’re getting a game with real ambition.
If there’s one area that Streets of Rogue does struggle in, it’s its presentation. While the environments are randomised, their layouts do get a little predictable. Even in scenarios where you enter an area embroiled in a gang war, there’s often the same set of rooms to explore (such as bars, jails and shops) so all that variety in character customisation and unique abilities can sometimes go to waste. The top-down art style is also a little bland, and relies a little too much on gloom and shadow. It makes you wish the developer had opted for something more stylised, such as Hotline Miami or Ruiner. Still, it's up-beat chiptune soundtrack helps balance out its predictable visuals.
Conclusion
Streets of Rogue isn’t the cheapest of rogue-lites available on the eShop, but years of developmental evolution in Early Access have resulted in the final product making it to Nintendo Switch, and while we do feel the asking price is a tad high, the amount of content you get far surpasses what you’re probably expecting. RPGs are at their best when they give you a world where you can be anyone and do anything - Skyrim has built its legacy on that very concept - so if you want to be a werewolf, or a scientist, or a bartender, then this is the game for you.
Comments 40
So many of these games... (!)
@Aneira Yep, this one looks decent though.
It's a good review - definitely agree regarding the pricing.
It's going onto my wait list, and as soon as it receives a price drop, I'll buy it.
How high is the price though?
Got it and finished it multiple times on PC. A thoroughly enjoyable game with plenty of replayability.
@Aneira Actually there are very few of these games. A lot of the games being called roguelike and roguelite contain very few of the elements that make up the genre. Mostly it's just procedurally generated levels and/or permadeath. It's like calling Super Mario Bros. a first person shooter just because he can throw fireballs at times.
@Dpullam NL lists the price under “Overview”
@Dpullam I think its 19.99 on the american Eshop right now.
Im interested but for now on the wishlist when its cheaper
@Reigestugatensho @SuperTeeter64
Awesome guys. Thanks!
@Dpullam No problem!
I put a hundred hours into Streets of Rogue on PC and I'm very tempted to double dip for the Switch version. I have so many fond memories of the game. There's just something amazing about playing as a gorilla, with a gorilla posse, and chasing down a terrified drug dealer into an alley to dispense gorilla justice.
rogue-lite / like should be killed off and never allowed to exist ever again.
I really wanted this to be a roguelike Streets of Rage when I read the name. Is this another one of these games where the bosses are obnoxious bullet hell spamfests? That killed Gungeon and League of Wizards for me the latter disappointed me so much with that I successfully got a refund from Nintendo for it.
I picked this up at launch and have been having such a blast with this game. The more you play the deeper it gets. I can easily myself sinking over 100 hours into this wonderful game.
@SalvorHardin it’s not like that at all. This game is very different from those you mentioned and as far as I can tell so far, there are no bosses. This game is more of a situation simulator than an action game, although there is a lot of action if you decide to play like that, but it’s up to you.
@SalvorHardin
Nope. There aren't any bosses to deal with. There is one bullet-sponge enemy in the game, a Killer Robot, that can take a severe beating but he is designed more to flee from than to kill.
Looks good, I'll definitely consider picking it up once I cool off on all the new releases coming this month.
I knew this would get an 8/10 before I even saw the score, all I needed to see was the graphics.
@YANDMAN Somebody's a party pooper.
@OmegaDestroyer I actually used the hacker against him, and if you're far away enough, and quick, you can hack him to mess up his aim. He's still too overpowered to kill still.
So Nintendo wants kids to think alcohol is a forbidden must have now? Uhg!
@Dakotastomp
If you can keep him on the rails, the trolleys will eventually finish him off.
Let's be honest, rogue-likes have always been a mediocre sub-genre featuring multiple antiquated mechanics that have aged very poorly compared to modern gaming, especially when they insist on using ugly 8-bit style graphics like are seen here.
This class system, while sounding pretty interesting, is nowhere near enough to raise this game up from the many flaws inherint in its genre. I'll pass.
@TenEighty Agreed. Irregardless of the secondary problems Prohibition caused, there's no denying that society would be much better off if alcohol somehow didn't exist. If fewer people starting drinking in the first place, that's only a positive development.
How dare the mayor turn chicken nuggets into currency, though! Now those poor kids can't enjoy the delicacy of eating them!
@shaneoh I actually saw him in the slums in my run. I had to Pac-man it out of there since he and the cops and Crips were all gunning for me.
@BulbasaurusRex I argue that as long as someone disciplined themselves to not overdrink or ever drive buzzed, then I think alcohol isn't that bad. It's the people who have alcoholism who would benefit from such a law so they can get help.
@Dakotastomp Perhaps (although there are still the personal health problems such as gradually destroying your liver), but in this case even teaching abstinence is much more feasible than teaching that kind of discipline. Similar to another certain vice, it only takes one lapse of judgment to massively screw up multiple people's lives...
@Dakotastomp Come on bro, you know this stuff is tired.
@Dakotastomp
Haha, you had enough on your plate then without taking on the robot.
@BulbasaurusRex That is plausible, since humans are more prone to overendulgence. And I could see the harsh reality of that with my aunt who's now bedridden after her liver gave out, so I know a law like that would benefit the heaviest users. But straight up prohibition again will just lead to more problems and people will Just innovate by making illegal craft beers or turn to heavier substances like crack. I say a "better" solution is to enforce more dry counties and enforce stricter limits on how much a person can buy.
@YANDMAN If it's all the same "You're a knight in a dungeon and you have to fight a gigantic boss" type of game, yes, but this is less like a dungeon crawling Rougelike and a cross between GTA, the sims, and Smash TV. If a rougelike or any 2D 8-bit/16-bit styled platformer has a twist and a great sense of humor, then I don't see what's not to like about them. You do you tho.
@shaneoh That bot got me into enough trouble. But it was thrilling.
@Dakotastomp Obviously. Soooooooooooooooooo can i county on you to join the ranks in the fight against the rogue lite/like???
@YANDMAN No. Unlike you, I like Rougelikes that challenge me to get good, but you can simply not buy them and enjoy a regular RPG instead.
@BulbasaurusRex
LOL!
Also it's fully translated in french
The game is really good, I didn't think too much of it, but when I first played it, it was really good. A great surprise
@BulbasaurusRex I can't tell if you like the game or not...
Eh, I tried to get into more rogue games, like Gungeon, but they just don't do it for me. I always lose interest with them very quickly, the ONLY exception being Death Road.
I honestly wonder if some of the people commenting here read any further than the word "roguelike." This game is nothing like Isaac, Gungeon, etc, except for the fact that it has Permadeath and randomly generated levels. The levels aren't mazes where you walk into room, kill every enemy, and walk into the next room until you fight a boss, go to next level, and repeat everything. They're miniature open worlds, closer to GTA or Retro City Rampage than anything else, and full of main quests, side-quests, and completely optional stuff to do. See a safe in a building? Break in and rob it. Or don't. Want to buy an expensive item from the shopkeep, but don't have enough money? Go to the casino and try your luck. Or don't. Hell, depending on what character you play, what missions you get, what NPCs you meet, and what items you find, you may never have to throw a punch or shoot a bullet if you don't want to.
I mustn't remember not to write a reminder note not to attend this non event.
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