Raiders of Blackveil

[b]TL;DR:[/b] Fun for a few hours, but the core loop runs dry fast. Sadly not much more than what the demo already offered a year ago. [b]The Good[/b] [list] [*] Runs are genuinely fun, and building your character mid-run feels rewarding [*] The perk system is the best part of the game, hands down [*] Combat is solid, and equipment/loot scratches the itch enough to keep you playing short-term [*] Multiplayer is fun when it works, role diversity (tank, support, dps) actually gets to shine for the first biome or two, before it turns into pure powerscaling [/list] [b]The Bad[/b] [i]Metaprogression:[/i] [list] [*] Barely changed since the demo a year ago. There are really only two tracks: gear, and home base meta perks (extra starting levels etc.) [*] I finished all of it in about 4 hours, for a 20€ game that's rough. Once it's done, your meta currency becomes worthless [/list] [i]Loot:[/i] [list] [*] Raising the danger level shows loot multipliers up to x22 (red/highest rarity) and x67 (legendary), vs x1 on normal, but I never noticed drop rates actually improving [*] Got maybe 2 reds total after beating something like 8 bosses on max danger. The game even taunts you with "beat this boss and continue for better loot," and then... doesn't deliver [*] Per the community item database, there's currently exactly 1 red item per gear slot in the whole game, same as during the demo a year ago. There's just nothing to chase [/list] [i]Bosses:[/i] [list] [*] Drop almost nothing worthwhile. You'd expect a boss on high difficulty to reward you properly, instead it's mostly greens and useless meta currency [/list] [i]Performance & bugs:[/i] [list] [*] Ran fine overall but had a few crashes on higher difficulties, even on a top spec M4 24GB Mac, shouldn't happen [*] Bugs are present but noticeably fewer than what others have reported, so it seems like some fixes have landed [/list] [i]Multiplayer:[/i] [list] [*] Barely functions as a multiplayer game in practice, public lobbies are basically empty, you need your own group, and even then it's laggy enough to be unplayable at times [/list] [i]Classes:[/i] [list] [*] Since this is functionally a solo game, there's little reason to run support, it pushes everyone toward pure damage dealers (plus tank, since one skill is busted good with the right trait) [/list] [b]The Core Problem, Why Stop After 5-6 Hours[/b] Roguelites like this ("Hades style") usually hook you with one of three things: a story/end goal to build toward, high build variety that makes reruns feel different, or a loot chase that justifies pushing harder difficulties. Blackveil doesn't really deliver on any of them: [list] [*] No story, the world is just a vehicle for combat, and bosses go down easily by your 2nd to 3rd run [*] Limited build variety, all characters share the same perk pool, so builds feel similar regardless of who you play. Most characters really only have 1-2 viable playstyles to scale into, and their abilities don't change much (even with the new traits), so there's not much to discover [*] Loot doesn't reward the grind, beat every biome on max difficulty twice in one run (~5000 alarm) by hour 6-7, and drops never improved: maybe 1 red and 5 legendaries total. Hard to stay motivated to farm when nothing drops [/list] [b]Conclusion[/b] The core premise is genuinely fun, but there isn't enough content or progression depth to justify the price tag. If a metaprogression roguelite is "finished" in 6 hours at this price point, that's a problem, and adding a couple more biomes or characters won't fix it, since you'll have seen everything the game offers within your first few successful runs. There's way more content available elsewhere for this price. [b]Suggestions for the devs[/b] [list] [*] Metaprogression and loot systems need a real expansion, not just tweaks [*] Build a genuine feedback loop between rising alarm/danger and loot rarity/stats, right now that connection barely exists [*] Bosses need to drop meaningfully better loot than regular enemies, not worse [*] Perks should interact more directly with each hero's kit instead of feeling completely detached from the character you're playing [/list]