Ratalaika Games is a publisher that helps indie developers to get their games out in the market. They have released some great titles from talented devs for the gamers to get their hands on and play. The latest title from them is Replikator, a procedurally generated Sci-Fi game from the indie team R_games. And thanks to the devilish traps and evil creatures it is inevitable that you are going to die, many times in a live, die, repeat scenario.
Publisher: Ratalaika Games, Meridian4
Developer: R_games
Release Date: 26 May 2023
Thanks to PR Hound for the review code.
Replikator is a twin stick top-down shooter roguelite game that offers a lot of unfair deaths and a feeling of frustration. But as the old saying goes “You can’t appreciate victory, without defeat”, so cause of this for every bit of success you get during the number of deaths, you feel like you have accomplished something great. Based on a space station there are plenty of monsters to kill and traps to try and avoid. When you start you get the option to choose your protagonist from a small group of heroes, including a raccoon which looks some relation to Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy.
Being set in the future the game has some interesting elements. You have a device that allows you to be reborn anytime you die, so you get to come back a little stronger for the next generated world. Procedurally generated games always interest me as no matter how many times you die, you end up with a stage that you won’t know what is coming next. The improvement of your character happens when you either die or defeat a boss, you go back to the space station to spend points accumulated and power-up your character.
The idea to complete the stages is a simple idea…clear out the levels, collect everything you can and find the key to exit level. You get three difficulty setting so there is variation to appeal to everyone’s experience of gaming roguelike games as they are a love or hate relationship with this genre. The graphics are fun and offer a retro feel as was seen on games like Chaos Engine back in the 90’s, which I love that style and think it suits the genre well. The soundtrack is amazing and gives a futuristic feel to the gameplay. There is also a great tutorial to help newbies with learning the game.
Final Thoughts
Replikator is a fun game that is challenging. If you are a fan of Roguelike games then this will definitely hold your attention. If you never played or been a fan of them then this could be a great introduction to the genre for a price that won’t break the bank. The sci-fi feel is definitely interesting and adds atmosphere to the game.
