Many would balk at the idea of repeating the same actions over and over, but a lot of video games encourage this. Titles likeFromSoftware’sDark Soulsthrive on players repeating difficult challenges until they’ve adapted enough to overcome them: catharsis through self-improvement. An entire genre of roguelikes and roguelites have also sprung up around the idea of going through the same trials with hundreds of thousands of permutations, and BenStar’sRevitais one of the most recent examples.
Those permutations are key to great roguelikes, as players get a new experience each run despite having the same goal. The slate of enemies or items that augment one’s abilities are almost never the same, but their random appearances mean a player can pick up the same item when they see it to develop favored strategies. Yet,Revitaand other recent successes like Supergiant Games’Hadesare notable for the way they ensure players don’t only rely on one strategy, instead providing incentives for branching out and learning every weapon on offer.
RELATED:Revita Review
Weapon Choices in Revita and Hades
InHades, Zagreus is the son of the titular Greek god who repeatedly endeavors to escape his father’s realm - with each death sending him back down the River Styx. His many extended family members; major names from the Greek pantheon like Zeus, Dionysus, and Artemis; offer boons associated with certain elements and gameplay elements like knockback. The variation Zagreus can achieve is relatively limited, discounting"Duo Boons" conferred by multiple gods, but they may be better or worse in conjunction with one of its six weapon types.
Zagreus begins with a sword, but is soon able to unlock a bow, shield, spear, gauntlets, and a gun - each including variant aspects, like the spear of Achilles. The differences between aspects may change how the shield takes advantage of Zeus' lightning-based boons, but lightning always works similarly. By contrast,roguelikes such asThe Binding of Isaacinclude hundreds of itemsthat radically change how its basic crying attack works, leading to what feel like endless possible attack types.
Revitacombines both of these approachesto an extent. Revita Kid starts off with a “Soul Gun” single-shot pistol, and there are over 300 Relics that confer either stat changes or alter the way bullets work. Yet, the basement in hub area Memoria Station has unlockable variations of the Soul Gun: a machine gun, shotgun, rocket launcher, and so on. The bullets for each weapon type are still affected by Relics, but once every variant is unlocked it’s easy to imagine players leaning toward something like the fast-firing machine gun and trying to dig up damage-boosting upgrades. Luckily,Revitauses the same bonus system asHadesto encourage diversity.
RELATED:Revita Is More ‘Interesting and Diverse’ Thanks to Co-Workers and Fan, Developer Community
Using Bonuses for Player Improvement
In both roguelite titles, players will start seeing one weapon singled out before a run. ForHades, one tool in Zagreus' arsenal will take on a purple glow that means it will offer extra Darkness; a currency used withNyx’s Mirror of the Night. ForRevita, a particular Soul Gun variant will either offer bonus Soul Coins or materials, each used for a range of services from unlocking new Relics or cosmetics to adding extra room types in The Clocktower.
There’s nothing requiring a player to use the weapon with a temporary bonus, so someone who feelsHades' gauntletsorRevita’s rocket launcher is their best weapon can stick with it to unlock harder difficulty modifiers; Heat or Lucent Shards, respectively. Yet giving players an incentive to swap often means they’ll become well-rounded with the game’s mechanics - and more likely to find new item combinations they enjoy.
This kind of system should be more common, though it works better for roguelites - which have a general meta-progression as players accrue currencies to make the game “easier” over time. For example,Subset Games’FTLandInto the Breachare more traditional roguelikes in that players unlock new ships or squads over time, but there’s way to make runs easier for everyone beyond learning the game. On the other end,Enter the Gungeonhas a few playable characters who all bring back the same Hegemony Credits. ThoughEnter the Gungeonis more driven by the narrative of each character, meaning repeat runs with any individual are less encouraged after a victory, it’s one case where grinding resources would be easier with rotating boosts akin toRevitaandHades.
Revitais available now on PC and Switch.
MORE:Revita Interview: BenStar Talks Version 1.0 Update, Switch Release, and Aspirations
