On Catacomb Kids

Sometimes you find a game that just clicks with you. I like me a good roguelike (or -lite or whatever definition you personally think should be universally applicable for the term) and last month I bought the early access version of Catacomb Kids. I love it.

The game itself plays like a more rogue-ish version of Spelunky (which I loved as well, at least the original free version, which I beat more often than my schedule these days would ever allow for). You jump and run through an often very vertical level in an old-school side-view. Unlike Spelunky, Catacomb Kids has a lot of different weapons, many of them magical, with random stats. Also there is the roguelike tradition of unidentified potions. And spells – a lot of them.

Combat can get frantic and intense but also slow and stand-off-ish. When a grumbul and you are facing each other across a pit with spikes, waiting for the other to move, that's where the true drama comes in. The fact that these enemies operate on the same rules as you and will flee the level if injured too badly makes things more immersive. And I always prefered games where even a single enemy is of consequence and a credible threat. I do, however, usually die to some trap combined with my lack of youthful reflexes.

I really enjoy the short sessions this game allows for: I rarely have more than half an hour of game-time a piece since we had our second kid. As I am not yet very good at Catacomb Kids, I rarely last more than ten minutes per run. The only problem is resisting the urge to do just one more try several times in a row.

Now the game is far from finished and I have some performance issues on my old computer here. Still, it's one of my favorite experiences in video gaming in the past ten months or so. I recommend anyone who likes a good action-oriented roguelike to try it out.