Into the Necrovale

It was a good game until I got the point when the game started crashing every time I attack. Basically, if you have a high amount of projectiles on the screen the game slows down to a frame per minute or crashes. It's disappointing because the game has potential but it's unplayable as you start creating powerful builds.

Steam Deck: Perfect Game: Fun, huge build diversity Replayability: Yes

I picked up Into the Necrovale for just $1.99 and honestly had very few expectations going into it. It was one of those purchases you make because the price is low enough that even if it ends up being mediocre, you don't feel like you've lost much. What I didn't expect was to find myself repeatedly coming back to it for short play sessions and genuinely enjoying the process of experimenting with different builds. The thing that impressed me the most is the amount of variety the game offers through its equipment system. There are a lot of weapons, armor pieces, and combinations to discover, and trying to find interesting synergies quickly became the main reason I kept playing. I always enjoy games that allow me to experiment and create my own playstyle instead of forcing me down a single optimal path, and Into the Necrovale does a good job of giving players that freedom. Another aspect I really liked is how approachable the progression feels. Many games in this genre rely heavily on long grinds and repetitive farming before you can start putting together interesting builds. Here, it feels much easier to get to the fun part. You can make meaningful progress, find new equipment, and test different ideas without investing dozens of hours first. That makes the game very easy to recommend for people who enjoy build crafting but don't necessarily want a second full-time job. Compared to many games in the genre, the grind here is relatively light. Players who consider this excessive may be surprised by how much more demanding other games can be. The visual style is another positive. I really enjoy the art direction and the overall presentation of the world. It may not be the most technically impressive game out there, but it has a clear identity and a look that fits the gameplay well. At the same time, I do think most players will eventually reach a point where they've seen a large portion of what the game has to offer. It doesn't reinvent the genre, introduce revolutionary mechanics, or completely change the formula. In many ways it plays things relatively safe. However, I don't necessarily see that as a major flaw. Not every game needs to redefine its genre to be worth playing. Sometimes it's enough to execute a familiar idea well, and I think that's exactly what this game does. What I appreciate the most is that it has become one of those games I can launch whenever I have a little free time. Whether it's a quick session after work or just a way to relax for a while, it's easy to jump in, experiment with a new build, and have fun without feeling pressured to commit to a long play session. I plan to keep playing and see how far I can push my character and my builds, but so far I'm very happy with the purchase. For the price I paid, it exceeded my expectations and delivered exactly the kind of experience I was looking for. Final Score: 70/100 [███████░░░] A fun and accessible roguelite with strong build variety, satisfying progression, and a charming visual style. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it executes its ideas well and provides an enjoyable experience that's easy to return to again and again.

Enemies wear roller blades so they can reliably spin a full 180 degrees and slide to hit you ten feet away with perfect tracking on the final frame of their attack. Looks and feels terrible every time it happens. Manageable by ensuring enemies don't get a chance to stagger their attacks, which unsurprisingly sucks as a combat model. If I wanted to play a game of "don't get roll-caught by teleporting poorly-animated enemies" I'd load up dark souls invasions on wifi.

Badly balanced, I don't know if it was patches or what, but even using a crazy build that does thousands of DPS, most enemies tank it until they can mop the floor with you past a certain stage, and there's little you can do to scale up past that point.

Fun combat, cool build crafting. But extremely grindy - hard to get resources and every Weapon and NPC upgrade is expensive. No way to know how to get certain items "keys", arena choice is rng so you can miss a lot of side activities, upgrades and characters. And after playing for like 9 hours and unlocking the final boss zone, game decided to unalive itself, and the save doesn't work any more :/

It would be a good game. If it was playable. Unfortunately some time in, it started crashing more and more often, making it completely unplayable. Multiple other people report having game-breaking bugs as well. Posted the problem in "Discussions" but received to help.

I feel I've played enough to give some early impressions. I expect to have around 40 hours in the game by the time I finish and will update this with a full review once I've beaten it. For now, I tentatively recommend it. Pros ✅Plenty of items that allow for unique builds and experimentation. ✅Beautiful art and smooth animations. ✅Satisfying sense of progression. ✅Memorable boss fights. Cons ❌The mid-to-late game can become very grindy. ❌Some enemies can one-shot you if you're not careful. ❌If you don't explore and learn how to play the game, this will seem unplayable. ❌A lot of the items don't explain what they do, and there's a steep learning curve on some of the mechanics. Mixed Bag: 😐The audio is inconsistent. Some tracks and sound effects are excellent, but certain enemy noises become repetitive or annoying over time. Current Verdict: 7/10. It could easily move up or down once I finish the game.