Ruin of the Reckless Reviews

Ruin of the Reckless is a top down roguelite floor based dungeon crawler of sorts. You're a guy who's apparently dead climbing a tower, which is basically the maximum amount of the story the game needs to carry the gameplay format. RotR is almost solely melee based, using meaty a hell punching mechanics that work in favor of hitting things really hard into other things. The variety of possible equipment, as well as Chaos Cards, which modify the entire run itself in unique and helpful, or unhelpful ways. It's also pretty important to note that you will get trashed inevitably, considering the semi-unforgiving difficulty. Now, let me just get the soundtrack out of the way. The soundtrack, mostly composed by chiptune artist, Slime Girls, is perfection. The music paves the way for the frinetic gameplay and really manages to pull its own weight in mixing with the simple yet heavy fighting. It's rare to hear extensively good chiptune soundtracks from games, akin to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World; but Ruin of the Reckless pulls this off with flashing, retro, flying colors. So if you like games where you punch stuff with your hands while your ears hit climax permanently, then this game is probably worth your time.

Great game if you want to pass your time with fun and a bit of challenge. The fighting and upgrading system is very well put together and I think you should buy this game if you are into this kind of play through where you gather items and powers to kill more powerfull enemies. 9/10 for now because some minor issues need work. Keep up the good work devs!

I was excited for the game after reading the Reddit post and watching some gameplay. The game just does not feel "right". Combat is boring and feels like you're not connecting blows. More like you're spitting out colliders that are registering with other colliders vs. a game like Castle Crashers where you feel like you're actually connecting blows/your weapons interact with enemies. Screen shake is not a substitute for a clean feeling combat system; I had to disable screen shake after my first fight as it gave me a huge headache (and props to the developers for allowing you to adjust that) but without it, combat just feels bland. I've requested a refund.

Unfortunately, not very good - not enough to compel me to even play for a full hour. Between the bugs (dying with hit points remaining, freezing during loading screens) and the unreadable combat (damage cues getting lost in a sea of bouncing enemies and faux-jump attacks), it just doesn't seem worthwhile to continue playing. The art and music are fantastic, but everything else is meh. Most disappointingly, the "melee" combat isn't really melee - this plays exactly like any other twin-stick shooter, and your "melee" attacks mostly are actually just close-range projectiles. There's a notable lack of polish and clunkiness to Ruin of the Reckless - spend your $10 elsewhere.

Ruin of the Reckless is a good game, no question about it in my opinion. The game has satisfying combat that blends a mix of melee fighting and spellcasting with (if you prefer) movement abilities that gives you a very good amount of control and opportunity to take on enemies. In addition there are "orbs" floating around each level that you can use to upgrade your character as you level up, that have a good amount of variety ranging from pets, new attacks or passive upgrades. The way you play the first couple of hours will most likely not look the same after 10 hours, both in speed and efficiency. Graphics are serviceable, but nothing special, which I assume is to avoid the game being too cluttered. The game succeeds for the most part in that aspect, but it's just barely and there are at least a few moments where it becomes too much with swarms of enemies around you. However where the game succeeds the most in my opinion is the music. It has one of the best chip tune soundtracks I've heard in years to the point where I decided to buy the soundtrack after about 5 minutes of gameplay. If you are a fan of that kind of music I would certainly recommend listening to a few tunes, because personally I will probably listen to the music long after I stop playing the game. When it comes to replayability, something most people expect a lot from with roguelites, I think many people could be surprised in a negative sense. Technically this game goes into the same genre as Binding of Isaac and Enter the Gungeon, but it's different enough that you could be left surprised if your expectations are to get exactly the same as those games in a different packaging. The game has procedural generated levels, but if you expect hundreds of items and weapons that completely change the experience of each run then think again. The game has enough of these items that you can change up the way you play in multiple ways, but they are too few to take away your choices in almost every run. For example if you prefer weapon X and spellbook Y, then in the vast majority of runs you will find them to make your favorite build. In other words, if what you are looking for is an instant classic of a game that will provide you with hundreds of hours of gameplay, then you very well may be disappointed. However I still think you should consider giving Ruin of the Reckless a chance, because while it's not going to be able to compete with (in my opinion) indie classics like Isaac or Gungeon, there is a good game here that will keep you entertained for a good amount of hours if you like challenging games, and also has a very interesting system that lets you adjust the difficulty and change up the gameplay in a much more comprehensive way than the other games. You acquire items while playing or talking to NPCs in the hub world at times that are called "cards". These cards can be added before you start a run in the hub world that drastically changes the game. You use this system to change "classes" (which basically only means starting gear), but can make enemies stronger/easier, make more items drop, change the ratio of traps compared to enemies and much more. Even if you use all the cards you find that make the game easier (something I recommend in the start), it's still very challenging and will most likely kick your ass run after run for a while. I'm almost 10 hours in and still haven't beaten the game on as easy as possible modifiers even if I'm getting close. If you play on medium or harder modifiers then I imagine you will have a massive challenge on your hands. In conclusion this game is worth the price in my opinion as I expect that I will get about 20 to 40 hours of gameplay from it. If you enjoy the challenging aspects of roguelites then I think this game will more than satisfy you. If you don't think you could enjoy a game like this without an almost infinte amount of wacky combinations of items and weapons for more than a few hours then probably wait for a sale. PS! I have some framedrops at times in this game that are far from gamebreaking, but can be a bit annoying. These are typically when using devastating spells that kill a ton of enemies or in some later levels where there is a lot of enemies on the screen. The developer has acknowledged this and said they are working on an optimization patch. Personally I don't think it's bad enough to avoid purchase, but for those that have low tollerance for the occasional framedrop should probably wait until further patching.

This game is very well made. The combat is polished, fast and fair. Tons of powers to collect and cards to modify the gameplay. As a rogue lite it is of course tough as nails, but still very fun. The music is sublime as are the effects. The dialogue is funny and smart. Co-op mode is very much appreciated as well. Very much recommended if you like intense action games with challenging gameplay. Little bit of gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj-0tvuOyaQ&feature=youtu.be

Solid game. I don't have many hours, so I don't know what the end game is like, but I really enjoy the combat in the early stages as well as all the different weapons you can use. The card system is interesting and a cool way of doing permanent progression.

My first impressions of this game are great but I will update my review as I put more time into it. Ruin of the Reckless has a very simple gameplay loop of trying to ascend a tower by finding the key and then the elevator on each floor until you die or succeed and then repeating. While doing this you attempt to acquire weapons and equipment to help you fend of attackers so you can gather currency and experience. Money allows you to purchase items at shops as well as cards that act as modifiers to your run equipable in the lobby. Experience allows you to gather more orbs that add passive upgrades or extra attacks to your character during the run. The combat is melee focused but also has a spell system with limited charges to add range or crowd control options. The dodge roll and secondary attacks are also affected by random pickups throughout each run. The art style and animations on the characters is very nice but the backgrounds seem very minimal and plain aside from the hub area. The game could also use an option to return to the lobby after death so you can adjust which cards you have equipped rather than needing to select ‘return to lobby’ from the menu. All in all really enjoyable rogue-lite so far with a decent challenge! Edit 1 After 3 hours I'm really disappointed in the weapon and equipment selection. Combat is becoming very repetitive and builds rarely seem all that different from each other. The weapons in general are extremely similar and sparse. As far as the skill cards, which act as permanent modifiers to each run, I’ve only unlocked around 4 and none of them are particularly interesting. If these complaints continue further through the game I’d have a much harder time recommending it. Edit 2 4 hours in and I have now made it past the first boss. I’ve encountered 7 different melee weapons, 6 different spells, and 3 different sub attacks. The main problem I continue to have is that nothing feels unique and all of the runs start to blend together. Since it only took me four hours to reach this point I can’t recommend Ruin of the Reckless. Everything feels too similar and the combat has almost no nuance. I really want to like this game but it’s not looking like I’ll be able to continue playing for much longer.

I bought this on a whim after reading the reddit AMA. Super surprised how polished the game is. If you liked Nuclear Throne but wanted the ability to make it easier or harder this game is for you. The mecahnics are super tight and polished. The game would actually benefit from some DLC to add more visual content but for the price it is well worth the full amount.

Note: These are my initial impressions based on two hours of gameplay. Will most definitely update when I get further. This is, first and foremost, a battle arena-style game. You defeat x number of enemies and move onto the next floor. What initially seems deceptively simple is in fact incredibly depthful and almost infinitely replayable. When you launch the game you are treated to a nice 16-bit-esque cinematic and the option to either go for the tutorial or dive right in. I strongly recommend doing the tutorial, not only because the character within is hilarious, but because the game has an awful lot to explain to you, intuitive as it may seem after. From there you'll be whisked to the first floor, and you will quickly see that this is a game about learning by doing. Many major facets of the game are procedurally generated, while the floor layout is selected at random from a premade set. The level design is pretty basic, though considering the combat and how it flows this is most certainly to the game's benefit- a simple level design with a few obstacles means combat flows relatively uninterrupted. As you defeat the literal horde of enemies each level throws at you, you'll level up and be able to pick up more orbs you'll find floating around the arenas. If you were expecting a description for anything, see my previous statement about learning through doing. The core combat mechanic of this game is surprisingly satisfying, and while it initally seems simple it all mixes together into a very compelling package. Enemies are hardly just bufoons running about and attacking when in range- they have patterns to a degree but combat is designed to be both fluent and methodical, a combination that may initially jar players, and most certainly increses the difficutly. The AI of enemies is designed to throw you off just that little bit, and often you'll find groups of the same enemy coordinating attacks or behaving completely differnetly than when one of their kind isn't nearby. The result is that no two floors and no two encounters with a single enemy type will quite be alike, and you absolutely have to keep your perception at a hair-trigger level to survive. The frenetic pacing combined with the tactics of your enemies creates an experience that isn't quite seen in any other game, and the clever way the enemies trip you up will be both your greatest source of satisfaction to overcome and your greatest source of agony when it defeats you. Combat is defined almost exclusively, however, on what you take with you into battle. As mentioned before, there are random orbs as well as various other items such as wearables, weapons, and scrolls floating around the arena. There are also, however, diamond-shaped cards you'll occasionally run into on the battlefield. These are modifiers for the game and while I haven't gotten into messing around with them too much, I do know that they drastically change certain aspects of the game. Every third floor, you'll be able to access a shop that will allow you to switch up your items by purchasing (but not selling) new ones. From my experience this will always be laid out the same way, though this could well change later in the game. At the start you have access to eleven items (and one constant hidden item), one of which is a random card you've not yet attained (typically prohibitively expensive for the early game). You spend the currency dropped by enemies here and more often than not you'll find yourself coming up short on funds. This is neither damning to gameplay nor a way to ensure your favorite build- it's the exact same items you'll find outside the shop, though it is a convenient way to top off a tiny bit of health at a time should you find yourself running low. The sound design in this game is designed to invoke a 16-bit atmosphere and the soundtrack is best described as chiptune, with many songs sounding reminiscent of Anamanaguchi. The sounds of the action itself are largely retro-inspired and add to the already satisfying combat by changing depending on what you have equipped- a Rapier Soul will not sound the same as your default Bracer, and so on. Each sound is crisp and distinct and further amplifies the satisfaction of combat. At the moment there is the unfortunate problem, however, of all of it being muddled onto what sounds like a single track, so it doesn't achieve the sound clarity it could, and certainly diminishes from the experience from time to time. I certainly hope the developers fix this problem posthaste, and by the time you've read this it may have already been fixed, but it's worth mentioning nonetheless. Sound issues aside, I've encountered no game-breaking glitches of any kind. The overall package is extremely satisfying to pick up and play, and I would not hesitate to recommend your purchase of this game. I can tell already I'll get a massive number of hours out of Ruin of the Reckless, and I'll certainly be enjoying every methodical second of play.