868-BACK

Already my GOTY

If you like puzzles, roguelikes or boardgame-ish tactics games this one's for you. The first two or three hours can be rough but if you hang in there you'll have a great time. The systems and rules of the game are deceivingly simple on the surface but they have loads of depth and nuance once you dig deeper.

A puzzle roguelike modern classic.

This is one of the greatest roguelikes I've ever played. Period. It does this funny thing to your brain. When you first start playing, you realize immediately there's nothing familiar to grab hold of and anchor you to these mechanics. [i]Everything[/i] is novel and confusing. The tutorial is barely even that; you're given glimpses of tools and systems that lack a proper frame of reference. I'm now 10 hours into the game. My first hour had me convinced this was the most difficult roguelike ever created; in my eleventh I feel like an actual unstoppable mastermind. The only way to cross this chasm is by learning to play the game better -- there is no meta-progression to speak of, save the cosmetic rewards earned via achievements. I can't recommend this enough to people who take pleasure in the phase of every video game where you're still learning. The growth is tangible here. and the soundtrack is [i]all bangers[/i]

Coming from 868-HACK (which i loved from a gameply and design perspective), i am pleasantly surprised by the content of 868-BACK. I am keeping this in my Steam Deck for sure. While there are some rough edges in controls, i really like the dilemna of pushing for higher credits/stronger build in exchange of more enemies in a level. Some progs have really crazy powers and coming up with great combinations is really fulfilling. Yes, a run can become quite difficult but that's what makes it interesting, imho.

Hands down one of the best indie games out there from a fantastic game designer and developer who deserves much more recognition for his ingenious games across PC and mobile. And an absolute steal at this price. Looks forward to playing this one day on iPhone.