Chimera

Killed the first boss on my second run (probably largely thanks to getting 2 ranged attack limbs) - it's not crazy difficult, but attacks are poorly telegraphed and hard to dodge. Combat feels a bit clunky all round. Getting limbs from enemies are a neat idea and all, but it's closer to a concept than something that's well-refined and which works well - it's far too easy to lose limbs, you get far too few of them to compensate, you don't pick the limbs you want as much as you just take the few the game gives you, and plenty of them are largely useless. Meta-upgrades are too expensive and not that interesting (after my second run, I could afford the first upgrade and that's it). The signs telling you what you'll get through which door are also a bit cryptic. Not sure if it tells you which limb you'll get, or just the enemy type. Game also bugged out and I couldn't pick up what the boss dropped. It's not too bad for a dev's first game, but I can't recommend it given how saturated this genre and the industry is with high-quality games.

Combat is not very good, with poor feedback and enemies not really telegraphing their attacks. It just doesn't feel very good. The core idea of the game where you use enemy body parts is really cool in concept, but not quite fleshed out enough to hold up. The game has poor support for ultrawide monitors (3440x1440) with many text fields going out the bottom of the screen. There are no options to adjust the resolution to force something more normal. Toggling fullscreen merely puts the game in a window with the fullscreen resolution.

Chimera is a small action roguelite that puts me in control of the actual mythological Chimera, which is a pretty good change from playing another ordinary hero. I start trapped inside a huge underground tower and have to fight my way through it while trying to figure out why I was imprisoned in the first place. The game is free to play and focuses on short runs, combat and building up my abilities as I go. It is a simple setup, but the idea of playing as the monster rather than fighting one gives it a bit more personality. The best part for me is the grafting system. When I defeat certain enemies, I can take their limbs and attach them to my Chimera to gain new abilities. That gives me a reason to pay attention to what I am fighting instead of just attacking everything with the same moves. I can also use trinkets and relics to change how my build works during a run, so there is some room for experimentation. I like this because it fits the character really well. I am not simply collecting swords and armour. I am literally changing the creature I am playing as. The actual combat is fairly straightforward, but there is enough going on to keep it interesting for a smaller game. I am moving through rooms, dealing with different creatures and hazards, collecting resources and trying to reach the next part of the tower without getting killed. There are three main floors, and each one has its own dangers and contributes another piece of the story. I like the structure because runs do not take an enormous amount of time, while the roguelite setup gives me a reason to try again after a failed attempt. The biggest issue for me is the amount of content. Three floors is not a huge amount when I am looking at the game as a complete roguelite, and once I understand the main mechanics there is only so much room for them to develop. The grafting idea is easily the most interesting mechanic, but I would have liked to see more abilities, enemies, environments and situations built around it. There are twelve achievements and some replay value through different builds, but I still feel like the game has more potential than actual content. I also think the presentation is decent without being especially memorable. The underground fantasy setting fits the Chimera concept, and the top down view makes the combat easy enough to follow. The game has a mysterious atmosphere and I like that each floor reveals more about the tower and my imprisonment. At the same time, some of the environments can feel fairly functional, and the game does not have the same level of polish or variety that I would expect from a much larger roguelite. That is easier for me to forgive because it is completely free, but it still affects the overall score. There were also some early problems that the developer addressed with patches, including changes to traps, enemy attacks, boss behaviour, collision issues and several smaller bugs. That tells me the game needed some work around release, although the patches did improve a number of those problems. The main concern for me is that the game feels like a project with a strong central idea that could have used more time and expansion. I like what is here, but I keep thinking about how much better the grafting system could be if there were more content designed around it. Overall, Chimera is a fun little roguelite with one genuinely good idea at its centre. I like playing as the monster, stealing abilities from enemies, building different combinations and fighting through the tower to uncover the story. The limited number of floors, fairly simple combat and lack of deeper variety stop it from reaching the higher scores I give to games with much more content, but the grafting mechanic gives it enough identity to stand out. For a free game, I think it is worth trying, especially if I want a short action roguelite that does something a little different. Rating: 7/10

Экшен-рогалик с элементами фэнтези и мифическими существами. Плюсы: Уникальная механика — возможность перенимать силы поверженных врагов; Проработанная вселенная — погружение в мрачный мир подземелий; Реиграбельность — каждый забег уникален благодаря случайным элементам. Минусы: Сложность — игра может быть слишком сложной для новичков; Однопользовательский режим — нет мультиплеера; Повторяемость уровней — некоторые элементы могут повторяться. Итог: Chimera предлагает захватывающий опыт для любителей экшен-рогаликов с мифическим уклоном. Уникальная механика и проработанная вселенная делают игру увлекательной, несмотря на возможные сложности и однотипные элементы.