ScourgeBringer is a new indie title by developer Flying Oak Games. ScourgeBringer is a 2D rogue-lite action platformer with an emphasis on fast-paced combat. Should you play ScourgeBringer?
Yes, you should play ScourgeBringer! The fast-paced action really feels good. Procedural rooms will keep you engaged and on your toes. Boss battles provide appropriate challenges.
Who are the developers?
Flying Oak Games is a French studio (apparently based “in a secret forest in the North East of France”) consisting of two people, Thomas Altenburger and Florian Hurtaut. They’ve previously worked on NeuroVoider which has come out on all major platforms.
A beta build of ScourgeBringer is on Steam on Early Access, available now. Flying Oak Games is likely gathering feedback from players and trying to put the game into the public gamer consciousness.
What is the gameplay like?
The developers themselves call this game fast-paced, which is entirely true. Players will find themselves rushing at enemies with the dash attack constantly. Once players understand which enemies to target first, then it’s just a matter of mastery.
When an enemy is about to attack a “!” appears above them and players will have a chance to use their “Smash” attack to stun the enemy. This provides an extra level of strategy to the game. Players will need to think quickly when one of the big enemies is about to unleash their abilities. Situations like, “Should I finish off this enemy or smash this other enemy before they shoot me?,” appear constantly.
Each room is procedurally generated with different enemies and layouts. Players fight through 1-2 waves of enemies (mostly 2). The room generation is standard, similar to other games of the genre, like Enter the Gungeon or Flinthook.
I mentioned before that each area has a theme. Certain enemies will appear only in these areas. Mastery of this game includes learning each area and how to finish it.
To finish an area, players must find the mini-boss, defeat it, and then proceed to the boss room, and defeat it. Each area will have a specific boss players will face. For example, in the first area, The Entangled Ingress, players will have to defeat the Body Boulder.
Players can rest in between rooms with shops and altars. Shops provide a random set of items that can be purchased with Blood dropped from enemies. Depending on players’ playstyle, these items can range from meh to awesome! Altars provide players with useful upgrades for free!
Is there a story?
There’s a tiny bit of story but the main focus of the game is the gameplay. Players basically play as Kyhra who is sent by his/her people to defeat the ScourgeBringer, something that is spreading the Scourge across the lands.
How are the graphics?
Florian is the artist responsible for the pixel art and you can see the care he puts into his work. The player animations provide fluid feedback, and are just chock full of juice. The environments can get a bit stale, but procedural generation generally leads design directions that way.
Each area has a different theme, which reflects in the tiles and backgrounds. During gameplay, you’ll never confuse platform elements for background elements, which is a big plus.
A minor issue I have is that the enemy projectiles are not as clear as I wish they were. The enemy flash after being hit is nearly the same color as their projectiles—leading to many lost lives.
How are the settings and options?
There’s a decent level of customization with the settings. Players can remap keys, change font-type, and toggle options like screenshake, which are all great for accessibility purposes.
For players using controllers, I’d recommend changing “Map display style” to “Press to toggle”.
The game has also already been translated into several languages: French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Russian, Portugeuse, Polish, Chinese, and Japanese.
Conclusion
If you’re a fan of challenging action platformers, or rogue-lites, this game is for you. Pixel art enthusiasts should also check this game out for the fantastic style it presents.