The joy of roguelike games is usually tied to the notion that you never really know what you're going to be up against each time you set out on a run. The map changes, enemies are in different places, and you don't know what gear you'll find on your journey. With Loop Hero, you know exactly what you'll be facing, because you're in charge of just about everything that happens. It's a roguelike game where you're the dungeon master, and it's brilliant.
The setup is thus: you've been caught in a time loop caused by a meddling lich, who has plunged the entire world into chaos and darkness. Nothing remains, even memories have been erased, and it's up to you to piece things back together, one step at a time. Before you is a loop of road, styled in a Commodore 64-era aesthetic, and all you've got to do is walk around the track.
Well, that's all the hero has to do. You, on the other hand, are in charge of making that journey interesting. Each encounter on the track will earn you cards and gear. Your plucky hero will use the gear to boost their stats, while the cards can be placed around the screen to add mountains, meadows, spider dens, and vampire mansions - all of which shape the way each trip around the loop plays out.
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