SNKRX Review

A Nokia Era Roguelike-A SNKRX Review

Following my usual browsing for new indie games to highlight on this site, a quaint title by the name of SNKRX graced my eyes. And for only $3, it was a no-brainer to try out this unique, bite sized roguelike. 

Strikingly Simple

SNKRX is a roguelike based off of the classic and simple game snake, but instead of eating pieces to grow longer you fight said creatures with a variety of units in a party of up to 7 segments. With your rag tag team of little units you press on to beat all 25 arenas and defeat the final boss-the cluster. 

Being based on Snake, SNKRX's simple concepts make a game that is immediately accessible and fun without having to read any long written guides or nonsense. Each of the units you purchase from the shop gives clear indication of what they do and what they upgrade into. For a game with tons of different units, all with certain synergies and the like, having clear indication on what happens next is crucial. For example, you can buy duplicate units and combine them together to level them up to three times, all of which is described in plain old English on the unit itself. The real depth of SNKRX is developing strategies around unit combinations to reach a state of firing all sorts of magic attacks, knives, and explosives at your enemies. 

After a set amount of levels, you'll be given a choice of selecting one of three randomly selected passive items. These can have huge effects on how your run will go. A personal favorite is a passive that gives all AoE attacks a chance to fire three times over, resulting in a splash of damage across the entire arena. I'll admit, however, that the power of some of these passives varies wildly, with some giving a little bit of extra damage and others, like the aforementioned AoE effects, having instrumental importance. 

The game's simple graphics make sure to display only crucial information. Nowhere in SNKRX will particle effects make it hard to make out what's happening, nor will intrusive UI distract you from what's important. 

For such a cheap game, a327ex's (yes that is the dev's name) commitment to providing regular game updates wholly surprised me. As of this review, the game has seen two fairly significant content updates since I bought it a few weeks prior to composing this piece. It seems they have even committed to scheduled additions to the game once a week for an unspecified period of time.

Frequent updates have left me coming back time and time again to SNKRX to see what's new

Verdict

SNKRX is the embodiment of bang for your buck, and for what its worth there is no indie game out there with this much content for only $3. While it may get a bit repetitive and inconsistent, the terrific gameplay loop keeps me checking in on this little gem again and again. 


8.5/10-A Three Dollar Delight


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monolith Review

Image
Roguelite Majesty-A  Monolith Review Monolith is a blatant hidden gem, and a concept I haven't seen done much recently. Yes, it is a roguelite, the superhero movie genre of video games, but it employs mechanics from most modern bullet hell space shooters to create a more unique experience.  You are a little spaceship in search of exploring the procedurally generated vault of levels to reach the end and obtain the power that lies within the monolith. Ain't much more than that, and what else is needed? Claustrophobic Combat The game has a great sense of space, forcing you to make split second decisions and rely partially on your instincts. As you improve, you learn to utilize all of the space you've been given, no matter how tiny the room. By shrinking the scope of the playable screen, combat is always active and keeps you focused through an entire run.  Couple this combat with expert visual design and a killer soundtrack, and each combat encounter is both...
Read more

Exo One Review

Image
  Missing the Mark-An Exo One Review Previously I really enjoyed these sort of open ended and abstract experiences, specifically Giant Squid's Abzû and its great sense of aquatic atmosphere. Having not played many of the other examples of the genre, namely Flower and Journey, I decided to check out the newly released Exo One from Exbleative to make a return back into these types of games.  Misreading the Room Ultimately, Exo One falls short of capturing the essence of what made these games engaging enough to enjoy. Looking to Abzû, there was an emphasis of smooth and coherent movement-you could kick your flippers through the water rhythmically to gain speed or grab onto animals and use their unique features to ride through the water. Exo One has a similar sense of momentum, as you turn into a ball to roll down slopes then transfer out into a disc to fly forward at maximum speed.  And this deeply satisfying, however, this is all Exo One ever does for the en...
Read more

Downwell Review

Image
  Confidence in Simplicity-A Downwell Review With every generation of new hardware and consoles the push in the gaming sphere has always been the same: better graphics, bigger scope, and just MORE. Downwell, to me, exists as a prime example as to why simple can be infinitely more enjoyable than complex. However, Downwell is a bit more sneaky in its execution, offering a lot of little details that add so much depth to a novel concept.  Ojiro Fumoto’s vision for Downwell seems to be that of a game jam game. For those who are unaware, a “game jam” is a competition in which upstart developers are tasked with making a fleshed out concept and prototype for a game in a short timeframe, typically 48 to 72 hours. The goal of these competitions is to get people creating as quickly as possible, and to not overthink so much that you don’t even start a project. Fun fact, the acclaimed indie shooter Superhot was the result of a game jam, eventually evolving into a full experience worthy of ...
Read more