Introduction
Roar of Revenge is a side scrolling hack and slash that was developed by indie developer SEEP. It was first brought to PC in October 2021, then Ratalaika Games published it to consoles in September 2022.
*A code was given from the publisher for the purpose of this review. This in no way influences the review, as my thoughts are mine and mine alone.
Review
The half man lion known as Leomhann is taking revenge on the world for the way he was treated as a child. Being bullied and ostracized made him a mean person, so now that he’s grown up, he’s not taking it anymore. Except he doesn’t know when to stop, so it’s up to Keel to go around the land, gather the relics of the gods, and defeat the evil half lion of the lands!
Honestly the story wasn’t exactly the staying point for me here. As you reach each new level, you sort of get a breakdown of what’s happening or going to happen, but my mind never really let it all sink in. Not to say it wasn’t exactly interesting, it was just a basic driving point for me. Had I paid more attention, I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more than I did, or even let it resonate with me a bit more.
No, the main staying point for this game is the gameplay itself, where it reigns king in this instance. When I first saw the trailer, my mind immediately went to games I grew up with, like Actraiser and Magic Sword, so I immediately fell in love. I was surprised the game played just as well when I finally got my hands on it. I ended up playing the game twice, once the normal way, and once to see how truly easy it is with easy mode active. I never got bored during the time I spent during these two playthroughs, as I came in at about 3 hours. It’s one of the few games I truly wish were longer, because ten levels just did not do it for me.
When you first start the game, you don’t have any abilities, you can’t even jump. But before you know it, you’re jumping, shooting magic, avoiding enemy projectiles and spinning on your heels as fast as you can to deal with enemies coming at you from all sides. This made the gameplay even more exciting, and I’m glad to say the controls are all real tight, as they should be. If I died I knew it was my fault, and not because of any cheap death because the game was being a bastard. Both with the combat and with the platforming. I loved the map design in every level and the platforming was absolutely top notch. From underground caves, to being in the clouds, to going through a castle, I was left in amazement the whole time.
My favourite level in the game, and yes I will say it, is the water level, which if anyone has ever played the TMNT game on the NES, will suddenly feel very at home here. I don’t know if the devs took direct inspiration from that or not, but it was amazing. The music was great, the controls felt heavy, and for good reason, and of course, there’s insta-death obstacles you need to avoid. Damn spikes. But the point is, it just proves how much love was put into it all, and how a water level should feel, as opposed to letting you rip through the water like you’re a fish, and not a human being.
I do wish there were a few more bosses to the game, as I always enjoyed figuring out the best way to fight them. Some are super simple, while some are a fun and exhilarating time. But then the issue comes down to the last boss, where I was honestly just bored and annoyed the whole fight. It’s not an intense battle to save the lands, it’s a slow monotonous marathon that I didn’t enjoy. Not only are you basically standing still, but you can only hurt the boss once when it moves its face, for one point of damage. So you’re sitting there slowly whittling away at the health bar. I felt more relieved than anything when I finally won. But I also beat the game with less than 10 deaths which in turn gave me the best ending, and unlocked all the other endings! All of those just ended up being a small description of what happened, none of them lining up with another. But it was a nice reason to try and get better at the game, and it was so worth it.
Rating
Pros:
- Tight Gameplay
- Exciting Levels
- Multiple Endings
Cons:
- A Long Last Boss Fight
- Too Short Sadly
Summary
This game was a fantastic homage to old school games. It was tight, it was fluid, the levels were fantastic, but the last boss fight ruined it just a tiny bit. For any hack and slash fans of old, I cannot recommend this enough. Plus an extra bonus, it’s only a few bucks! Go play it!
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Game & Developer Information
Developer Website: SEEP
Developer Socials: Twitter
Publisher Website: Ratalaika Games
Publisher Socials: Twitter
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