⚔️🧙‍♂️Review: Tangledeep (Nintendo Switch) "An Experience that Really Rewards Time and Effort" 🧙‍♂️⚔️ #GameDev #IndieGame

Game Title: Tangledeep

Format: Nintendo Switch

I've had my eye on Tangledeep for a while. 

A roguelike dungeon crawler with 16-bit Secret of Mana-style graphics? 

Sign me up.

The first thing you have to do is create your character. There's a choice of nine character classes initially, and you can unlock a further three (with a potential 13th class in as-yet-unreleased DLC). 

Unlike many games of this type, there's not much in the way of obvious this-is-the-barbarian-he-hits-things-really-hard archetypes. For every Spellshaper, your basic wizard class, you've got an Edge Thane, which is a sort of cross between a bard and a warrior. A barbarian, if you like.

You can choose from three difficulty levels. The first is the easy one - if you're killed, you wake up in town with half of your resources gone, and once you're half-decent at the game it barely slows you down. Heroic mode is where the roguelike elements start to take shape. Permadeath is now a thing, and the only things saved are equipment you've banked, and things you've unlocked in town. And, for the masochists, there's a hardcore mode where dying means your whole save gets deleted.

I mentioned the graphics at the start, and they really fit with the game. Bright colours and well-defined sprites are the order of the day. The town NPCs are an assortment of human-animal hybrids, for that hit of Japanese-style retro goodness. It's the same with the music - could have been written in 1990 and all the better for it.

So we know Impact Gameworks have nailed the aesthetic, but what about the gameplay? 
Tangledeep is a turn-based game. Nothing moves, attacks or does anything until you do, so this is a game that rewards strategic thinking. The dungeons are randomly generated so you might get stuck on a level that you sail through on your next playthrough. Critically, though, you never feel that it's unfair - if you're careful, you can normally do OK.

One thing you can't accuse Tangledeep of is lacking depth. Outside the wide variety of loot, unlockable combat skills and sidequests, there's a lot to get stuck into. You can capture monsters (by knocking them out with a hammer) and domesticate them to fight at your side, you can plant and grow trees for items, you can learn recipes to give some great bonuses, and loads more.

Summary

Although you can play this game casually and have a great time, it's an experience that really rewards time and effort. This is one of my favourite releases this year, and although it's not the cheapest game out there, it really is worth it.

❄️ RATING: ICE COOL ❄️

Ratings Explained

ICE COOL (Great Game Recommended)

MELTING (Recommended with reservations, one to consider if you are a fan of the genre)

MELTED (Not A Recommended Purchase)