Premature Evaluation is the weekly column in which we explore the wilds of early access. This week, Fraser s back on the roguelikes with Wayward Souls. It looks like Secret of Mana, but it s meaner.
It might have been a mistake to play as the mage. Wayward Souls dungeons promise death at the hands, claws and slimey appendages of countless beasties, but my first killer was just a miner. He threw a pickaxe at my head. I d made it to the third room of the first floor. I didn t even get to find out what her deal was. Every hero s got some reason to keep fighting, with stories that are woven into the otherwise random maps and between levels. It s something to spur you on when you ve been killed by a plain old bat. Twice.
Against all the odds, I persevered is what I d like to tell you, but no, I threw the mage in the bin, along with her pitifully tiny health bar and my confidence. Developer Rocketcat Games cites Secret of Mana as Wayward Souls greatest inspiration, but it s got the cold, black heart of a roguelike. Lives are fleeting, and you ll go through plenty, each starting fresh at the dungeon entrance.