LONE RUIN gives you a ton of customization options for your pretty pixelated magic as you comb through a colorful (but dangerous) ancient city.
When I see a lethal magic-laced town, its inhabitants driven wild with the sorcery that used to make them so happy, I just keep on walking (although I guess this hasn’t come up often). Not our protagonist, though. You’re interested in cleansing the nastiness that has taken hold here (and maybe get a few enchanted abilities and powers for yourself). And, I mean, it’s only been abandoned to the monstrosities that have ruled it for a thousand years. How hard can it be to get to all of those magical goodies within?
As versatile as you are, you have a good (ish) shot of finding the center of the city. Your mage can pick up all kinds of different magical shots in this twin-stick roguelike. These alter your shot spreads, effects, blast radii, and all manner of different effects for each of your spells. The game encourages you stay on the move with its relentless foes, so you’ll want to pick something that suits your own approach to this constant danger. Do you prefer to avoid getting hit at all and try for huge damage? Do you need something to blast foes off of you as you’re kind of clumsy (or really clumsy like a certain writer)? There’s a little something for you no matter what you need. And the spells all look sharp with the game’s pixelated spells/creatures and its interesting color choice.
The vibrant, yet bleak colors and the flexibility in the twin stick magic combat make LONE RUIN a great deal of fun to play through. It’s still going to take you some time to get to the center of the ruins, but when you find some tools that work well for you, you’ll enjoy every tense, vibrant attempt.
LONE RUIN will be made available today on the Nintendo eShop and Steam.