STAND-ALONE Preview
With countless roguelite action games flooding digital storefronts, only a select few manage to rise above the noise. To truly stand out, a game needs an addictive gameplay loop, meaningful meta-progression, and striking art direction. STAND-ALONE checks all these boxes, but does it have what it takes to leave a lasting mark on the genre?
Set in a post-apocalyptic world still reeling from Dr. Wolf’s massacre of sheep, you play as a protector. Once a shepherd, you have now been mysteriously transformed into a sheep yourself, stripped of your memory and abandoned. Confused but determined to uncover the truth, you must piece together your past while battling against the oppressive forces that have tightened their grip on the world. Although the anthropomorphism adds a unique twist to the premise, the story as a whole failed to grab my attention. It was reserved in its telling and takes a back seat to the addictive gameplay.
Choose Your Path
Before entering a stage, you can choose a path that determines your reward. These rewards vary, with some granting currency to spend on new items, weapon upgrades, and more. As a result, each run feels different, allowing you to experiment with a variety of items to create the ultimate build. This ties into the meta-progression system, where you’ll earn a special currency that can be used for permanent upgrades. With each run, you gain strength, helping you progress further into the post-apocalyptic world.
Levels are short and tightly designed, with enemies littered throughout. Your task is to eviscerate all in your path to clear the stage and move on to the next. This is where STAND-ALONE shines. The quickfire levels make this perfect to pick up and play and enjoy a quick run. Accompanying the strong design is the tight controle. With ease you can dash through attacks, quickly strike opponents and leap out of harm’s way. Everything feels responsive and as a result, slaying everyone on screen feels fantastic.
A Quick Blast
Levels are short and tightly designed, with enemies scattered throughout. Your objective is to obliterate all in your path to clear the stage and progress to the next. This is where the game truly excels. The quick-fire levels make it the perfect pick-up-and-play experience, allowing you to enjoy a fast-paced run whenever you have a few moments. Alongside its strong level design, the controls are responsive. You can effortlessly dash through attacks, strike opponents swiftly, and leap out of harm’s way. The responsiveness makes every action feel satisfying, and as a result, slaying your enemies is immensely gratifying.
As you progress, you’ll eventually gain access to special attacks that you can unleash against stronger foes. You can upgrade and infuse these with elemental effects to make them truly devastating. As these include cool downs, you will need to time when and where to use them, especially during bosses that culminate each area.
The pixel art style is wonderful. Each chunky sprite looks great and is accentuated by the stunning environments. Although the preview build only has two areas, each was unique, feeling distinct yet part of a larger world. Accompanied by a strong soundtrack, the overall presentation is great and will keep you hooked.
STAND-ALONE incorporates all the staples of a roguelite but carves out its own niche in a crowded genre by focusing on short levels and tightly designed, fast-paced combat. While this is based on the early portion of the game, if it continues to build upon this strong foundation, it has the potential to become a standout title in the genre.
Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.
