Wildkeepers Rising Preview
Bullet heaven games have carved out a permanent spot in my brain. So Wildkeepers Rising had my attention more or less immediately. Indeed, I knew this one had the juice mere moments after starting it up. This is a bullet heaven game with some serious potential. So, after playing through the Early Access build of the game, I’m pretty psyched for the eventual full release.
Bullet Heaven With A Twist
The game’s setting is your standard fantasy boilerplate, albeit with a monster-collection twist. While I wasn’t blown away by the narrative, it did make way for a fascinating mechanical setup. Rather than setting out on your own, you scoop up a team of monsters in every stage. Furthermore, everyone only has two slots for new skills. So you’ve got to mix and match with everyone on your team to make things work. On top of that, every monster has its own playstyle and behaviors.
I’m not selling this idea, I know. It sounds cumbersome on paper. But I promise, once you get going, it all clicks with resounding force. You can give a guardian (monster) the ability to absorb all your damage and also heal continuously. A guardian that follows you can emit fields that boost crit rates and constant fire damage. Super moves can be triggered half a dozen times in 30 seconds. The possibilities are staggering.
So Many Combos
Though the story is minimal, it’s still refreshing to see one at all in a bullet heaven game. You’re travelling from region to region, rescuing guardians and defeating the horde. You’ve got a proper hub to return to between stages, and a cast of characters that slowly grows. It’s a little thing, but I really appreciate having this additional structure around that bullet heaven core.
The monster designs are delightful. They’re whimsical, highly detailed, and decently animated. On the other hand, the Wildkeepers themselves don’t quite look right to me. Maybe it’s just a personal bias, but I’m not a huge fan of their design. The rest of the game looks awesome though, so I’m not terribly concerned. The animation runs smoothly even when the screen is crammed with monsters. At least, I never noticed any real dips in the frame rate.
Already Want More
Hopefully the full release is gigantic. What I’ve played so far is terribly compelling. There’s already at least a dozen guardians to experiment with, along with a giant list of skills and bonuses. Every guardian behaves a little differently, which means there are a giant list of possible combos to try out. Plus, the Wildkeepers themselves have different strengths. I’ve finished the early access build, and I already want to go back and test out more setups.
To be fair, Wildkeepers Rising is very much in early access right now. The build that’s dropping this week only contains a handful of areas. But the skills, stages, and guardians available are an excellent argument for a little patience. This game might be a bit unfinished, but the final release is going to be incredible. That said, I’m curious what else will be added. How many guardians will there be? How many stages? What new skills will we see in the full release? Though the current build is short, I highly recommend checking out Wildkeepers Rising.
Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.
