Way back when I first started playing DRG, it was during the Early Access days, on early versions of SteamPlay/Proton that had reams of issues with Unreal Engine. Solo delving the caves of Hoxxes with your senses simultaneously crippled and on high alert was a slow, meticulous, and *stressful* experience- one that felt less like a raucous co-op horde shooter and more like a horror game. With updates and experience, that sense of horror largely dissipated- which was a shame, because the *vibes* of being alone and afraid in the depths of a giant rock full of hatred were *phenomonal.*
So it's a good thing Rogue Core came along and leaned into that spooky atmosphere! The familiar caves of Hoxxes feel much more dilapidated and sinister from the moment you set down on the very first layer, and the way they decay further the deeper you go is *fantastic.* The tech of Deep Rock has always carried a somewhat rickety, mass produced industrial aesthetic that suggests being held together with duct tape and a wish fresh out the factory, and seeing its inevitable *decay* without the Dwarves- to speak nothing of the damage done by the Corespawn as well- really adds to the atmosphere.
Wandering through actual mineshafts held up with crumbling supports and lit by barely-functional lights, wondering whether you'll find upgrades or certain doom behind the next corner is *great*. Pushing through the lower layers, overgrown and rotten from the corruption, any semblance of that comforting familiarity largely gone? Fantastic. The way the air itself gets thicker and more oppressive as you go down, a smog that obscures what little vision you already had in the deep? Mechanically *and* thematically impactful.
Then there's the Corespawn themselves- uncanny, twisted, seemingly chimeras of...whatever the core can access, ranging from the skittering, almost-hominid shape of the basic Creepers, to the Voidspawn that somewhat resemble the more advanced Glyphid support units and Mactera. None of them are *right*, and all of them can very quickly turn deadly if you get overwhelmed- which as one dwarf against dozens, upgraded Bosco or no? The tides can turn against you *real* quick.
All of this is to say- I love the atmosphere...but that's only one half of the story. Gameplay-wise, it's a strange mix- in many ways, it feels like it could just be an alternate gamemode for baseline DRG, while in others, it very much veers off into more typical roguelite elements...in both cases, both for better and for worse.
One of my favorite things in DRG is the simple experience of mastering a specific weapon, putting together combos that work well and play fun- especially with all-class weapon mods, being able to pick and choose to fine-tune my favorite playstyle is great fun. Rogue Core *just does this*, so far as I can tell- every weapon and tool can be used on every class, with specialization coming in the form of their unique class abilities. There's even bonuses for choosing to focus in and specialize with one specific weapon!
Where I start to have problems with this is the fact that you have little control over what you'll actually be *running* once boots hit the ground; there's no option to pick even just a low-tier starting weapon or tool entirely of your choice, which just...doesn't feel great? I also find myself missing weapon customizations- cosmetic *and* otherwise. The random Workbench upgrades just don't feel as good as a proper perk tree, and it does bum me out not being able to bling up my favorite equipment to look good while blasting Corespawn.
I'm going to need more time to come to an educated opinion on the personal upgrade side of things- I feel like there's a lack of flavor and possibilities right now, but a lot of that likely comes from both being early in the game *and* the game itself being in Early Access. One thing I *will* praise heavily is the way upgrades are handled in solo play - having to balance between upgrades that benefit *you* with upgrades that will benefit Cooper is both fun to ponder over *and* a really great way to include some of the questions of upgrade balance that co-op play faces.
Overall, I'm enjoying Rogue Core so far- and with how far DRG has come even just since launch, I have full faith that the game's going to shape into something great with time. It's definitely pretty lean right now- but for something in such early access, that's to be expected.
