However, it is also a completely different beast. Guns have been traded in for a myriad of spells, the limited 2D side-scrolling perspective has been replaced with a much wider isometric camera, and the simple, monochromatic 8-bit art of Hell is Other Demons has evolved into a fascinating mix of fully 3D environments and 16-bit-like pixel art character models. Now, it’s not without its faults, but Lone Ruin is an awesome experience that is a great way to kick-start 2023 gaming for roguelike fans.

Roguelikes don’t tend to rely on their settings and stories to keep players engaged, but the ones present in Lone Ruin definitely stand out. An ancient city built on powerful magic has descended into chaos and corruption for a thousand years, leaving it a husk being puppeteered by the evil that resides within. The very same magic that was used to build the civilization was changed and turned sour by some unknown force, leading to the downfall of an entire people.

"It’s not without its faults, but Lone Ruin is an awesome experience that is a great way to kick-start 2023 gaming for roguelike fans."

Now, a nameless mage explorer dares to venture into this Lone Ruin. They will fight the creatures and magical beings that rule it now, and travel to the center to hopefully find a way to erase the corruption once and for all.

As you might have guessed, the player will take control of this brave explorer, who serves as a blank slate for the whims of whatever playstyle you might choose. Lone Ruin is a roguelike game, so every encounter will consist of “runs” through the increasingly difficult levels of the ruin until you die and start at the beginning once more. Each death will inform you about what works and what doesn’t in terms of spells and strategies, and there are plenty of both to go around.

Each run begins with your default ZL maneuver, a potent dash move to get you out of harm’s way. Besides that, you will be able to select from eight core attack spells before you get into the thick of it. These spells are all flashy and visually impressive but vary wildly in their function. There is the high fire rate Shards spell, the slow but explosive Fireball, and the Scythe melee spell if you want to get up close and personal.

Which spells work best will differ from player to player, but you aren’t stuck with the base version of any spell for very long. Each spell can be upgraded many times, and not just by arbitrary levels. When you obtain an upgrade for a specific spell, you can choose to improve one of several aspects of that spell. The options for an upgrade might include the spell’s strength, its cooldown time, the addition of an element, or an increase to its area of effect.

This novel system allows the player to fully customize their experience with each spell, and it works fantastically in action. However, it’s not all smooth sailing. While some spells come with free upgrades from the selection room, you’ll often have to turn down other great opportunities if you really want upgrades.

"Deciding whether to turn down an awesome new spell in favor of an upgrade to your Old Faithful can be extremely tough sometimes, especially in later levels when the difficulty is ratcheted up considerably."

When you clear a room, you’ll be given a choice of two possible routes for your next room. Each one will have a displayed reward, which could be an upgrade to a spell you have, a new spell, or some other benefit, like a visit to the shop or a treasure room where you can win more gold. Deciding whether to turn down an awesome new spell in favor of an upgrade to your Old Faithful can be extremely tough sometimes, especially in later levels when the difficulty is ratcheted up considerably.

Some players will opt to try to fully upgrade their favorite spells, but the real fun in Lone Ruin is had by experimenting and trying out all of the game’s spells to find their synergies. A loadout that seemed powerful and efficient was an upgraded Fireball combined with the Blizzard and Grenade spells. That provided a good balance of attack power, range, and area denial, all of which are extremely helpful when dealing with Lone Ruin’s selection of monstrous enemies.

The game contains twenty-one “rooms” that are broken into three seven-room layers. Each successive room is more intense than the last, and introduces new enemies and enemy patterns that will put your spellcasting skills to the test. It’s not uncommon for Lone Ruin to throw in a completely new enemy type without warning that will completely wipe you out and ruin your run. Players not familiar with Roguelikes will call that unfair, but fans familiar with the territory will take it in stride. What does seem unfair, however, are deaths that occur as a result of the arena designs.

Because the game is in the isometric perspective, you get a pretty good view of the battlefield in most cases. However, the layout and features of each room arena are different, and some have archways or other features that block a seemingly insignificant portion of the area. But, when an enemy is able to pass behind that feature, remain unseen, and attack from that hidden position, it doesn’t give you many options in terms of avoiding taking that damage. It’s not a frequent occurrence, but having a great run brought to an end by an enemy you couldn’t see isn’t a great feeling.

"Boss fights feel epic, and dodging waves of projectiles while flinging your own spells back, bobbing your head to the awesome soundtrack that is present throughout the game is a highlight of Lone Ruin."

The seventh room in each layer before you descend to the next one will feature a boss encounter. These fights feel epic, and dodging waves of projectiles while flinging your own spells back, bobbing your head to the awesome soundtrack that is present throughout the game is a highlight of Lone Ruin. There are unfortunately just a few of these battles, so a future content expansion that features more bosses or even a boss rush mode would be very welcome.

If you’re a roguelike veteran who manages to conquer all of Lone Ruin in one sitting (which could take as little as an hour or so with the right spells and skill), there is also a challenging Survival Mode that can be accessed from the start screen. This timed, wave-based mode ditches the fancy arenas and dumps you into a huge open space filled with all of the enemy types from the main game. Survival Mode is great fun if you’re in tune with the mechanics of Lone Ruin, and it is a great way to get even more replayability out of a game designed to be infinitely replayable.

Overall, Lone Ruin has the makings of the next great indie roguelike hit. It feels just as polished and fun as something like Dead Cells, just with much less content. That is something that is easy enough to remedy over time, and it’s definitely worth seeing where Cuddle Monster Games takes this one.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch.

Monster Hunter Rise (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, XSX)

Xbox and PlayStation players will finally get their hands on Monster Hunter Rise when it releases for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5 on January 20th. Tasked with defending Kamura Village from the impending Rampage, players choose from one of 14 weapon types and, well, hunt monsters. Classic beasts like Rathalos, Mizutsune, and Pukei Pukei return, joining newcomers like Aknosom, Great Izuchi and Magnamalo.

Slay strategically, craft better armor and weapons from your prey, and then hunt tougher monsters – such is the Monster Hunter way of life. On Xbox Series X and PS5, there are options for 4K/60 FPS and even 1080p/120 FPS, along with 3D audio support. Despite the lack of cross-platform multiplayer, the new mechanics (like the Wirebug and Silkbind Skills) and monsters make it worth checking out.

Forspoken

After a fair number of delays, Luminous Productions’ upcoming action RPG Forspoken is finally releasing on January 24th for PS5 and PC. It stars Ella Balinska as Frey Holland, a New Yorker who discovers a mysterious bracelet that sends her to the realm of Athia. With the bracelet becoming sentient and named Cuff, Frey embarks on a journey to take down the once-peaceful Tantas and save Athia.

She can utilize dozens of different magic types, traverse the world with magical parkour, and fight off creatures corrupted by The Break (which she’s strangely immune to). Though the recent demo may have garnered mixed responses, it’s still worth seeing how Forspoken turns out at launch.

Dead Space

Dead Space is finally seeing a revival, courtesy of Motive Studio. The remake is based on the iconic 2008 sci-fi survival horror, which sees engineer Isaac Clarke boarding the USG Ishimura and encountering nightmarish Necromorphs. Along with vastly improved visuals in terms of environmental details, textures and volumetrics, Dead Space features Gunner Wright as the voice of Isaac, with the character now fully voiced, and Tanya Clarke as the voice of Nicole (whom she also played in Dead Space 2).

New rooms, routes, obstacles, the Peeling system for realistic limb damage, and a new Intensity Director for dynamically adjusting Necromorph spawns and effects while delivering some 1200 terrifying random events are also being added. Dead Space is out on January 27th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider

If you enjoyed the Contra-esque Blazing Chrome, then JoyMasher’s action platformer Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider may scratch the same retro itch. Out on January 12th for PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch, it’s set in a dystopian future where the Moonrider is awakened and decides to wreak havoc against its authoritarian masters. In addition to dashing and wall-jumping, Moonrider also wields various melee attacks, giving this more of a hack-and-slash feel. Explore the eight stages to discover chips that modify abilities, or take in the 16-bit-style pixel art and delectable soundtrack while fighting for your life.

Season: A letter to the future

Better known for the survival multiplayer title The Darwin Project, Scavengers Studio is going an entirely different route with Season: A letter to the future. After living in a village that doesn’t experience the changing of seasons, protagonist Estelle leaves to see the world before a mysterious event alters it forever.

Players will explore landscapes by bicycle, recording events and studying art while meeting people and helping them out. The purpose is to collect memories and learn more about what’s coming. Season: A letter to the future is out on January 31st for PS4, PS5, and PC.

Superfuse

On the surface, Stitch Heads’ Superfuse is all about being the hero and saving humanity. However, in truth, humanity is dominated by the superpower-wielding elite after leaving a dying Earth. As an Enforcer, you’re tasked with taking out the monstrous Corrupted at their behest, with the story present in a comic book format.

Launching into Steam Early Access on January 31st, Superfuse offers isometric action RPG gameplay. You choose two classes with various powers and skills and further augment them with different weapons, armor and boosters. The campaign can be played solo (even offline) or with up to four players in drop-in, drop-out co-op.

A Space For The Unbound

A Space for the Unbound offers gorgeous pixel art and a relaxing late 90s setting, but there’s plenty to unpack in the story. Focused on high-schoolers Atma and Raya in rural Indonesia who gain the ability to dive into minds, they must explore the world, interact with its people, and deal with bizarre events like meteors and giant cats.

Amid all this chaos, the slice-of-life pace and exploration of mental health issues make for an endearing experience. A Space for the Unbound is out on January 19th for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Children of Silentown

How many games have a “very mean cat” messing with the main character as their selling point? Children of Silentown does, and it’s probably the least terrifying aspect of this dark adventure from Elf Games and Luna2. You control Lucy, who suspects something dire in the neighboring forests of her village, and it doesn’t help that people are disappearing without explanation.

Lucy sets out to investigate, solving puzzles and talking to people (before they suddenly disappear) in a point-and-click adventure, where singing may help out more than you’d expect. Launching on January 11th, Children of Silentown will be available for PC.

Lone Ruin

Cuddle Monster Games is no stranger to rogue-likes and bullet hell titles, as seen with Hell is Other Demons. However, its next game, Lone Ruin, is a twin-stick rogue-like shooter focused more on magic. You venture to the ruins of a magical city turned corrupted haven to investigate ancient magic, which has since twisted its people into terrifying creatures.

One lone ruin seems to hold the answers, but you’ll need to fight through multiple enemies and bosses to get to it. Various spells, from beams and ricocheting shots to magical slashes, and upgrades are available as one makes their way. On top of this is Survival Mode, a wave-based mode where the enemies get tougher and more plentiful over time. Lone Ruin is out on January 12th for PC and Nintendo Switch.

One Piece Odyssey

Based on Eiichiro Oda’s super-popular manga, One Piece Odyssey is a turn-based RPG published by Bandai Namco and developed by ICLA (of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl fame). It features open areas and dungeons, with each Straw Hat Pirate having a unique ability for exploration (like Luffy sling-shotting across gaps or Zoro cutting down barriers).

The game launches on January 13th, 2023, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. A demo will also be available on January 10th for consoles, if you want to try it before buying.