I have played through the three modes available, and all I have to say is that I cannot wait for this to be fully released. I could put hundreds of hours into this game already as it stands. Absolutely masterclass execution of a roguelike.
Instead of talking about what is there though, I want to talk about what I still want in the game, because right now it's still in Early Access and I'd love to see some things done before the full release:
- Freeze doesn't work like I expect it to, and it can really feel kinda janky as a status effect as a result. Due to the freeze effect being directly related to the HP of a microbe, you have to pair it with high damage effects to get the slowing results that you want. However, this breaks down greatly in something like a Maw build, where I want my primary damage to come from eating microbes, and only use the freeze effect to slow down microbes. See the issue? High damage from the freeze weapon will kill, depriving our Maw build of nutrients, which means the Maw build won't benefit from freeze weapons at all as it stands currently (rather ironically). A laborious fix to this issue (but probably one of the better methods) might be to have freeze buildup be a separate stat based on how many hits a microbe has received by a freezing-type projectile during the last 5 seconds, slowing the microbe with each hit down to a floor (fully frozen). This change would enable builds that intentionally go for low damage and high status-effect buildup, relying on the Maw (or other future Guardian abilities) for main damage delivery. The freeze chip (frozen microbe speed -30%) would lower that slowness floor further, bringing slower microbes to a near-stop as opposed to the crawl they'd normally reach at max freeze (fully frozen), with two chips bringing all microbes that get sufficiently frozen (even the more speedy ones) to a dead stop. Of course, you can't be frozen if you're dead, so you can see why this would benefit lower-damage weapon builds and even intentionally seeking lower damage. Of course, you could also have it be BOTH tied to HP AND a separate build-up meter both, intensifying freezing effects on lower HP% targets.
- Some other status effects don't apply attached effects, and I really wish they did. I really wish my zaps could also burn or freeze what is being zapped for example, or my burns could apply freeze buildup. (Or that my zaps could apply burns that build up freeze...) Only a projectile can currently apply a status like burn, freeze, or stun from my observations... I can hear the question already: How would the order of application be decided? Build order is the obvious answer; if the effect comes from a Guardian, it's going to apply first and foremost, followed by build part effects. Then mods will come into consideration in the order they were installed. Then arsenal weapon effects themselves (the description effects in order of listing in their description; like CGGT coming with zap followed by flak - the zap will be applied to the flak projectiles), followed by the genes attached to the weapons. Gadget status effects obviously are their own thing though. I think this is a critical thing keeping some of my builds from truly popping off when it looks like on the book that they should be doing fine.
- I'd love a zap related modification that makes zap link up between fired groupings of projectiles instead of between nearby microbes and applies damage to everything between those projectiles; combining this effect with chaotic burst missile weapons or a shotgun and the tazer to make walls and webs of electricity that continuously stun enemies would be a truly sick combo.
- I'm itching for a motherboard or two that allows for a fourth chip installation during a run to get real silly with. If not added to a board coming in the future, then F-0CU5 and H0-7D06 would both be good options for this addition, with some tweaks. In a similar vein, a motherboard that enabled a 5th mod would also be awesome. A secret board with both options would be a dream. I'd expect some balance changes for sure if such things were to exist. A man can dream.
- I'm also hoping for more brutality in the full release to compensate for all of the nuttiness I'm asking for here: 10 depths instead of 5. Ramp it up like crazy in the later depths. Increase spawn rates and wave times. Increase the arena size by scaling everybody down and slowing their movement speed both equally to allow for more spawns! Make it feel like I'm pushing the absolute limits of Nanobot tech here. Introduce behavior events in the lower depths that make random mutations (like Hysteria, Stillborn, Charge, etc.) suddenly activate on their own for a wave and then deactivate. Also, introduce shop genes that allow the player to mutate their own weapon builds (like mutating a CCCG into an ACCG) in depths 6-10. The later depths should only be unlocked when all non-secret parts, guardians, mods, weapon combinations, and gadgets have been discovered and all depths 1-5 of all modes have been completed; they should be hidden prior to that.
- Along this vein, I'm keen to see bosses (aka Abyssal Horrors) implemented someday - perhaps in these later depths. Boss waves with mutated abyss versions of known microbes with massive HP, upgraded attacks, special AI with phases, and whatnot would go hard. Seeing these mutants fire back at us trying to destroy us... Shooting AOEs that we have to dodge and needing to navigate summoned minion microbes... Managing being burned, frozen, or zapped ourselves... You get the gist. There's potential for much more even yet...
- Having all microbes unlocked in the database should unlock the ability to see the types of microbes that are going to spawn in the next wave during the shop. In earlier depths, this wouldn't matter too much, but on depths 6-10 where bosses could show up and weapons can be mutated to address the situation, it becomes much more relevant.
Otherwise, I'm just excited for more, and will still be dumping a ton of time into this game in the future; the replayability and the number of builds possible keep pulling me back in, and will probably do so for the foreseeable future. Absolutely a masterful upgrade from the OG Genome Guardian!
The Jester Guardian was too much for me, but it can also be quite OP if you can focus hard enough and lock in - good work Alpherior - quite dank.
