Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core

Most of the upgrades are just bolted-on flat stats or reused effects from the original game. There's no real synergy between allies, and the levels are just a corridor from point A to point B within a set timer. As a player with 430 hours in the original game, I applied for tester access almost instantly but got nothing back. But even so, from what I understand, the developers didn't listen to the testers' feedback and criticism at all, which is why most of the issues weren't fixed by the time the test period ended. In its current state, I don't get the same vibe from the game that I got from DRG. Some people might like it, but it didn't hook me for long. The old hub was way more pleasant, the game was more multifaceted, Mission Control felt more soulful, and you didn't have to grind for a license and then a mini-game just to get a beer. There's nothing to say about the gunplay — it's still the same DRG, literally ctrl+c/ctrl+v. Of all the ores, all that's left is a re-skinned nitra.

gut

It is a blast to play with friends! Faster paced than the original with a unique feel. In the short time playing it, the updates have made it substantially better. Right now, the somewhat wild map designs are one of my favorite parts.

gr8 game, it is a very fun rougelite

It is kinda fun but the difficulty scales weird and it comes up short compared to deep rock galactic i wish they would just add the weapons from this game to deep rock galactic. but maybe after a few updates they figure out the game feel and make it more fun

Takes the running and gunning of DRG to the extreme. Little to no mining, just climb the building and fight bugs. The randomized kits can be frustrating if your luck is bad, as some weapons and upgrades are far more usable than others, but when it works man does it work. The classes aren't as distinct as DRG, but you effectively get two dimensions to your class: which class you pick and which traversal tool. With teams of four you can basically get the same traversal tool every mission, so with my friends we each have a standard pick. Every quality-of-life mod I had in DRG is a standard option here. With a thorough pass through the setting, it's smooth and streamlined. (I play on steam deck w/ monitor, it runs it perfectly.) The bugs are different so movement patterns are different, you can't just run in circles anymore. The graphics are more detailed which gives it a more gritty aesthetic. Two gamemodes stand out: randomizer and bugXP. In the first it's even more random than usual, and the pickings are gooood. The more players, the more you have to share the love, but with one or two players you can get atrociously busted loadouts. The second is where bugs drop Expenite. There's basically zero mining, and you're rewarded for beating big swarms. It plays fast and fun. The biggest thing missing is brevity. There's no way to play in twenty or thirty minutes like in DRG. One mission is a major commitment, taking forty minutes to an hour. Two missions is basically a whole evening, three is a late night. Would love to see shorter gamemodes, especially one where you can pick a loadout to experiment with. (Same simulator as Gauntlets, but start with a fully custom loadout and fight one megaswarm.) The other part missing is the v-i-b-e of DRG. Both have a context of corporate work, which in DRG means you're a bunch of barely-contained alcoholics kept on because you're the only ones willing to do this dangerous job. When management isn't breathing down your neck, your only priorities are having fun, getting rich, and not dying. Even when they are breathing down your neck, you love to hate them. In Rogue Core the story is different. You launch into a mission with a timer. I know the worms are technically the enforcement of that timer, but everything I do feels like I'm in an Amazon warehouse with Big Brother watching to make sure I'm working efficiently. In DRG if you take a tactical pause, your punishment is you have to fight an extra swarm. In Rogue Core, you just lose. You're not allowed to run out of time. OMEGA is an unfeeling robot, I get no pleasure from hating him. It's just too serious. Fun, but serious. Overall I still love it. It's a change of pace from DRG, which while tons of fun got a little stale. I'm hoping they add even greater variety to Rogue Core (and not just more boss fights. I'm already wishing missions ended in something besides a boss fight.) Rogue Core peaks higher in terms of combat. Nothing in DRG can equal playing as Retcon with a Rapid High Capacity Full Auto Deepcore PGL with 4x magazine size, meaning I can ploop 24 grenades in 10 seconds and then get them all back for free. (Please don't patch this out!) DRG peaks higher in experience though. The final run to the drop pod, with that music, is one of my favorite parts. Where it excels is that you have to fight bugs in different situations, such as point defense, area defense, moving, or fleeing. Rogue Core needs to at least match that concept, if not take it further. And while I'm building a wishlist, I wish Gauntlets used the same elevator for the start and end, with some reward for exploring the cave. Cave generation vastly affects the difficulty of a given floor.

Rock and Stone! Just such a great spin-off.