Aperçu the embell knights
Ember Knights is a Rogue-Lite Coop offering 1-4 players to play together locally or online. If its construction is most classic, it has some good ideas - some unpublished - but also its lot of weaknesses that, hopefully, will be improved during its anticipated access.
Note that the game is only available in English. There is no info for the moment if a French location is planned for (at least) the output of the full game.
Exploration
The base of the rogue-lite is to have a headquarters of which we go to go through the world generated procedurally to each new death. Ember Knights is no exception. On the other hand, the game is particularly linear, which constitutes one of its weaknesses. We enter a room from below, we can not go back and, once there is no more enemy (on certain rooms, a reward is also obtained at that time), we can Go out by the top of the room to go to the next room. If most of the time there is only one output, there are sometimes two, each displaying the type of reward that can be obtained by cleaning the next room. All rewards are not worth and, usually, there is no hesitation in the next room choice.
In short, a little poor (one would have liked a minimum of exploration), but sufficient. Fortunately, it's a little richer with the management of enemies. Early access launch obliges, the bestiary is not huge, but the enemies are quite varied. In addition, there is an improved enemy system that can meet a version of an enemy of a different color, a little bigger and especially with a slightly different attack. And there is an even stronger version of the enemies.
Similarly, in the middle of a world, the progression is punctuated by a mini-boss. That of the first world exists in four different versions. If the appearance is very similar (in color), the attacks are quite different. On the other hand, the boss at the end of the world is always the same.
Then, once dead, we return to the base where we can use the embers obtained to regenerate the embers tree, open the orbs of relics found as well as convert the skill shelves.
The orbs of relics are obtained after killing a number of enemies (the number needed for the next orb is indicated with the associated NPC) and allow to add for each orb a new relic to the list of relics that may appear in play..
There are two tablets to get by world, the first by beating a mini-boss, the second beating a boss, but only after finding the NPC that goes well in play and told him to the base. Each tablet is then converted into a new skill that can then appear at stake.
Finally, the embers are obtained by playing and allowing to unlock passive bonuses reinforcing the character. There are 7 levels of liabilities, which is interesting; The first two are accessible after the first return to the base, the following are unlocked all 3 improvements. Within each level, there are 3 liabilities: By default, only the first is accessible, the second becomes available once the first improvement of the first liabilities realized and the third is unlocked once the first improvement of the second level made. Among the three liabilities of a landing, only one can be equipped at a time and therefore apply its effect. As long as a liability is not accessible, its effect is masked. As long as the first improvement (passing at level 1 of the liability) is not performed, the bonus for the following liability improvements is hidden. On the other hand, as soon as a liability is accessible, we can see the number of possible improvements for this liability by looking at the number of section components the circle surrounding it (it goes from 3 to 6 for those I could see )
Recover enough embers allows you to unlock the CRA. The choice between sword or bow is at the base, before starting the run, and can not be changed until our return to the base (ie to our death). And, to facilitate the choice, there is a model at the base on which to test our weapon and which indicates our DPS.
Progress
Choosing the sword starts with 50 PV instead of 30 and increasing three attack gives a chance bonus of criticism on the third attack. The CRA provides a slight travel speed bonus and advocates medium reach; Connecting three attacks that the third puts a series of arrows (during which one is immobilized, making us more exposed that we would have wanted) and it is possible to load an attack that does not make any more damage, but can cross the enemies (never use).
Once the party has begun, powers, relics and stats bonuses can be obtained to continue to strengthen and refine its build. However, these benefits, of course, are reset to death.
The powers are brought randomly at the end of certain rooms. Either directly on the ground, with a power per player, either via an object that gives each player the choice among two. We can have up to two of equipped. And all recharge by carrying a number of basic attacks (usually between 10 and 15) on enemies.
The skills (as well as the arc loading) are all loadable. Load maximum Increases damage. And, very interesting system, launch the attack in the moments that follow the moment when the maximum load has been reached (the display of the effect zone goes to the white temporarily) allows to perform a perfect attack that makes more damage. and can activate the effect of some relics.
If the powers have a clearly not negligible role, it is finally the relics that are the nerve of the war. These bring various effects that are triggered in certain situations and make it possible to achieve a build. Thus, one can have a relicing a poison zone when a perfect attack with a power, another that slows the poisoning enemies or another that increases the damage on an enemy suffering from a state alteration.
By the way, a fun functionality allows by using a fire power on food (care object) to transform it into a more efficient cooked version (an apple that makes 5pv becomes a potato tart that makes 10, for example). It's fun, but it's limited as we do not necessarily have firepower and, if we have one, it is not necessarily charged.
The relics can be achieved randomly at the end of certain rooms. Either directly on the ground, with a relic per player. Either via an object that gives each player the choice among three. In addition, one meets on the way a seller that allows you to buy relics in exchange for the gold we found. On the other hand, the price of the relics is a little strange, because from one part to the other, the same relic does not necessarily have the same.
Note that in order to facilitate buildings, progressing enough in liabilities, it is possible to obtain the ability to withdraw (a limited number of times) the proposed powers or relics. In addition, by obtaining a relic that already has, it goes to the place at the higher level, for a reinforced effect.
The stats can be improved through an object obtained at the end of certain rooms leaving the choice between three random improvements. In addition, the mini-bosses and boss leave to their death an object improving a randomly chosen statistic for the one who collects it.
Defaults
Very surprisingly for a game launching at anticipated access, the title suffers from a lack of content. It is particularly felt vis-à-vis weapons. Have other weapons or the possibility of strengthening them would be interesting. Currently, the sword is basic 15 damage and the ARC 8, with the possibility of strengthening via the stats (if we have the chance that it is proposed to us) of 2-3 or via the liabilities of 10% + on a party enemies, which changes little little. Arriving at the second world, one feels clearly the lack of power in relation to substantially more powerful enemies than those of the first world.
In general, the progression of the difficulty does not seem as controlled as it should. I would have liked a little more care during the first games, while I discovered the game. Then, we feel that the difficulty increases a little faster than being progress. Before it stabilizes for the first world, with a big jump, reaching a foot in the second.
On another aspect, the interface seems over. It is felt in the dialogues where the police, generic as possible (especially for the names of the interlocutors), slice with the rest of the game and his universe quite well realized. And we also feel in the interface of unlocking / selection of liabilities that seems to have been done quickly waiting for the real interface. In addition, if the game allows you to choose between joystick and keyboard-mouse, and even allows you to completely reconfigure either, the new keys are not taken into account in the liabilities interface.
Moreover, the controls deserve to be refined. I quickly abandoned the mouse keyboard to switch to the joystick on which, without being perfect, the controls are best. The fact that the dodge does not interrupt the third attack of the arc seemed a little too punitive. And the biggest problem is that every sword attack advances the character. If the enemy dies quickly enough, it goes, but on a (mini) boss, we find ourselves to lose life without reason (where to spend too much time retrieving rather than attack).
Finally, the biggest defect currently is the multi online. Not for technical reasons, but for a design problem: when one joins the part of another player, we arrive as if we were a local player who does not have the game. As much I understand that the powers and which falling are limited to what the host has fallen, it does not make sense not to be able to use the arc that has been unlocked (as long as the host has not unlocked) or liabilities 'We unlocked, improved and especially chosen. We can not adapt our liabilities to the build that we want to do, but all the players of the game undergo the choice of liabilities made by the host.
Above all, once the game is over, only the host has a progression. It recovers embers, orbs of relics and tablets of power. The other players leave without any other fulfillment than having given a hand to another player. What interest in this case to have the game? As much play in Remote Play Together on one game as it comes back to the same.
In addition, during the game, gold is neither distributed to all players (so we can end up with the merchant without none having enough to buy anything, also because of the prices Too high) neither equitably distributed (this is only the tip of the iceberg: the majority of rewards can be ninja, which kills the opportunity to play with strangers).
If a player dies, it is not resurrected until the boss at the end of the world has not been defeated (as long as we have not released the liabilities giving possible resurrections). So, we can find yourself simple spectator for far too long. Then, during that time, we do not benefit from rewards. The question arises at each death of continuing or starting again.
Little cherry on the cake, for an unknown reason, it is not possible at the base to interact with anything if the other players are not present at the interaction (if a player wants to open The orbs and the other consult the liabilities, everyone must take care of the orbs and everyone must go see the liabilities, while the two are spaced 2m).
Similarly, when one has an object allowing each member of the group to choose a power, a relic or a statist bonus, all the players see the choice offered to the player 1, but only the latter can interact with the game. Then, Once he chose, it starts again for Player 2. And so on until all players have made their choice. Why not allow each player to make his choice in parallel?
It is all the more a pity that the game still manages to offer an independent camera for each player (while the usual fault is to have the same camera for all the players, whether in multi local or in line).
Conclusion
Ember Knights is friendly and has its potential (especially thanks to the relics). And it is already stable, with some quite minor bugs.
On the other hand, it still lacks a little maturity, even for early access. And, most importantly, the multi is too bad in the state. Everything seems made to encourage the solo. Even as the title seems more able to shine in coop than solo.
So, it's a game that can be recommended to put in your wish list, but no more for the moment. It will be necessary to wait for the necessary updates to allow itself to be allowed to consider the acquisition.
_Aperçoised on PC by pertur from versions provided by the publisher.
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