Roguelikes are easily among my favourite video game genres. All thanks to discovering ADOM years after the initial release and getting hooked like there was no tomorrow. Randomized dungeons and adventures give that amazing feeling of excitement and uncertainty each time you restart the game. Features like permanent death and procedural generation make it even sweeter, even if the graphics are pure ASCII.
Nowadays roguelikes seem to be really popular among indie game creators. Recent years gave birth to games like FTL, The Binding of Isaac, Spelunky and hundreds of others. The game we’re writing about today also belongs to the same genre and brings a bunch of innovative ideas to the table.
The World
Chymeria, once a peaceful land, is facing a terrible calamity. Beings known as the Dark Ones have been resurrected and are unleashing their evil magic all over the realm. With their otherworldly powers they pose threat not only to the people but also the land itself. All hope lies in an elf called Enn, who feels obligated to protect Chymeria and defend everyone in need.
The world of ROX, in line with the core concepts of roguelike games, is procedurally generated each time you launch the game. You can decide on the order of progression through regions. Each of them will have some random goal to accomplish and a boss to defeat. Succeeding will make all remaining regions more difficult. Players will also be able to manage the conquered regions gaining access to new spells, equipment or even portals to other locations.
While traveling through Chymeria, new heroes will join Enn, and it will be possible to switch between them.
Learning From Your Enemies
The most unique feature of Reign of X is without doubt the system of gaining new abilities. The game features a high number of enemy types, each carrying their own set of skills.
After defeating a monster, player can either finish it or spare it. Sparing grants access to the so-called “purified hero” cards. These can also be found randomly in chests or appear as a part of the story. Getting your hands on one of these gives your character access to the enemy skill set, and makes the armor look themed after that enemy. There is over a hundred characters, whose skills can you include in your build, many of which are monsters.
Getting access to a wider variety of abilities will make Enn and other heroes ready to tackle even more challenging bosses.
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Meet the Creators
ROX was created by a team led by Cheol Joo Lee, a Canada based 2D/3D artist with a rich background in the game development industry. His portfolio includes working on art for Company of Heroes (with Relic Entertainment) and Warhammer 40K video games. The project started back in 2015 and the team currently consists of 7 people, with over a dozen of additional advisors and collaborators. Until recently, the game has been a passion project, developed after hours, but at some point last year Cheol Joo Lee has decided quit his job and fully focus on making the game into reality.
Kickstarter Campaign
ROX is going to be funded through Kickstarter. According to our info, the campaign is supposed to launch on May 21st. Backers will have a wide variety of pledge options, most of which include access to the closed beta as well as game related merchandise. The creators plan to start beta testing in August 2020 and ship the game by November 2020.
