Equin: The Lantern

Hi fellow gamers. So I've been thinking about reviewing this game for a while now and since the Steam Award Nominations are here, I guess it might be the right time. TL;DR: Minimalistic yet fun and randomized indie roguelike dungeon crawler which is still getting updates since its inception in 2016. Setting/General: "Equin: The Lantern" is a kind of minimalist roguelike game in which you're playing the role of a brave rabbit which ventures deep below the surface to find - a magical lantern. The introduction to the game is kinda brief so don't expect to know everything anytime soon. Character generation - like most of the game - is pretty minimalistic; you can choose between five different classes (Warrior, Thief, Wizard, Cleric and the secret class which I won't spoiler here). That's about it. The differrent classes of course feature different stats and ways to do combat. The thief of course is a very handy chap which will have few problems picking the locks of chests, while the warrior of course has the best chances in close combat. There's different merits and weaknesses which will be assigend automatically. You can view those in the "Special"-Tab while in game; warriors for example usually have "butterfingers" meaning they'll suffer more damage from trapped chests. Setting/Level design: The dungeon is randomized every time and you'll encounter some changes in scenery the deeper you get. You'll see the first few floors a lot because the game really isn't too easy. Those feature a dirty, earthy look, like what you'd expect from a typical medieval or fantasy dungeon. Brick walls, a few tufts of grass and the likes. Since I've yet to finish the game, I haven't seen the deepest floors, but I know that there are icy floors for example. Each level can contain different types of enemies (you got the usual bats, goblins, snakes, rats but also stronger foes like evil sorcerer-types) including bosses. Bosses usually are a variation of a common monster, being much stronger and 'outlined' a bit so you can recognize them. Aaaand... each floor has different loot, usually placed in chests or found in shops. Some chests are locked and as such the locks need to be picked, which will most likely succeed if you're playing a char with high dexterity and most likely will fail if you're playing a big oaf (the warrior). There's different items that can help picking aforementioned locks, there's stuff that can help you heal or recover stamina (food, potions), of course there's weapons & armor and more. Regarding the shops: There's different types of locations. You can enter a bar and pay for something to drink or some information, there could be cultists which will grant you different bonuses in exchange for some of your lifeforce, there might be the good old peddler of weapons and other items. Graphics: Really pixelish minimalistic but somehow charming (at least to me, but I'm old, I've played the Atari 2600 back then haha). I'd recommend playing it in windowed mode, since fullscreen seems overwhelming with pixel-styled games. Don't expect any special effects (can I still talk about 3D accelerated FX?); this game keeps it really simple. If you can't handle retro style graphics, you might not want to play the game. But if you do, be my guest. Sound & Music: The game usually resorts to "retro-styled" sound effects; bleeps and bloops, whooshs, some short "innuendo mini-melodies". No problem for me; it fits the retro atmosphere. When it comes to the music, it's catchy but there's not too many tracks. The beginning of the first battle theme bugs me a bit, because those bleeps seem weirdly placed. However, when playing the game I sometimes find myself humming along to the melodies. Still, some people might mute the music after hearing the tracks a few times. Controls: Simple stuff. You are using the arrow keys to move or navigate the menu(s), space the confirm or attempt an action and TAB to open the in-game menu. The steam store page also promises full controller support, but I haven't tested that yet. Story: Hmm. I don't know what to write here. I guess there isn't too much story; however since I haven't finished the game yet there might be a lot I'm missing. There's bits of information to find especially in the taverns but other than that, it seems to be kept rather straightforward. For example: The magical lantern has differently colored "phases" which feature different effects, but you'll only know that once you've got that part of information. Mechanics ("special bonuses"): Your character can choose one of five bonuses once you're almost done with the creation. Take a pick between finding 25% more gold, having 2% more attack power, gathering 15% more experience, gaining +3 magic defense from the get-go or having all stats increased by one point. Additionally there's the Xtoli-points which have only been added recently (this review is from the 22nd november of 2018 - take that into consideration). You gain those after you've finished a run; so most of the time once you've died in an earlier attempt at beating the game. With those points you are able to influence your stats and starting equipment, hence giving you a better chance towards making it to the end of the dungeon. Special (holi)days also grant specific bonuses. Mechanics ("the lantern"): The lantern has differently colored "phases" which grant you OR the enemies different kinds of boosts. So there's a bit of strategy involved. Would you rather attack that enemy now or try to wait for a bit until it's weaker again? Fighting: The fighting is turn based; you complete an action, the enemy completes a type of action. No "isometric strategic board game"-type of fight; it's reminiscent of the classic (J)RPGs of the 'olden times'. Are you acquainted with the basic RPG Maker 2000 fighting style? It's pretty much like that. Depending on your weapons (or spells) you have different attacks, but you also can try to flee or even tackle a monster (which isn't really the way to go and only should be used in emergency situations). Your stamina will deplete faster or slower depending on the type of attack you choose. Enemies also have their own stamina bar. Updates: Even though the game originally was released onto Steam in 2016, the game is still getting updates and changes. It seems the Dev is really fond of his creation and is nurturing it every now and then. That sentence is weird. Gotta take english classes again; I guess you get the meaning. The Dev: The developer is active in the games forum and to me is a nice guy who likes to have a chat with the players of his game. My subjective opinion: I like the game. It's fun to pick it up every now and then and try a new run. Once I've got one of those super rare armors and made it pretty far down the dungeon - but still, some monster caught me during a weak moment and that's that. I'll gladly fire it up from time to time and try my best at beating it once again. So there's a good deal of motivation I guess. There's also some players who share the logs (and stories) of their runs in the forum if you want to see what's going on for other gamers. DFX Games managed to put out a sweet little gem that feels like a short trip back to the past which still doesn't feel like it's aimed at hardcore gamers exclusively. Thanks for reading! - Osselpi -