Loot River [Review]
Loot River is a roguelike with a unique twist, now available on PlayStation.
Image credit: straka.studio
From the moment I saw its first trailers, I was captivated by Loot River’s look and central mechanic. Not only is it a roguelike, it’s rendered in a beautifully grimy pixel art style and features a killer gameplay hook. All of these things make for a game that’s right up my alley.
In Straka Studio’s Loot River, the dungeons float. They’re made up of Tetris-like polyominoes, each one a raft movable by the player in four directions while standing on it. The player reshapes the dungeon while exploring it, rearranging pieces to reach new places or to strategically control space and the flow of enemy attacks in combat. Over time, new twists are thrown in—multilevel pieces with stairs, enemies that lock pieces together, spiked segments to ram enemies, and more.
Image credit: straka.studio
The soulslike combat, where careful parrying and dodging is paramount, is satisfyingly crunchy. Weapons feel like they have weight and power when they hit. You can have two equipped at a time, and because each type has a different set of attacks, you can accommodate your own play style. There are also spells, armors, charms, and more that you can obtain and equip, and discovering how these can complement each-other is essential to successful runs. I found combat to be very unforgiving, so I turned on the newly implemented easy mode that allows animation canceling.
Another interesting mechanic in Loot River is the ability to set modifiers that will change how the dungeon is generated. You find these on your journey, and they can do things like eliminate certain enemy attacks, simplify level layout, increase enemy numbers, and more. Many have a give and take, for example one that causes higher level weapon drops will also make enemies hit harder.
Image credit: straka.studio
I love the game’s grimy pixel art aesthetic. While the character and enemy sprites aren’t that interesting, each dungeon level has a unique theme that’s lushly rendered and feels lived in and ancient. There’s a palpable sense of mystery and dread as you delve down. Lighting, shadow, and particle effects help bring everything to life, giving the fixed top down perspective a feeling of depth as the player moves around the levels. The reflective water ripples as you move the dungeon pieces, and your movement makes elements of the levels cast shadows in real time. When done right, this style mixing retro art with modern game engine effects really pops, and Loot River does it right. This is especially true when married to excellent sound design like this game’s.
The latest update accompanying Loot River’s PlayStation release has also added a cross-platform level editor that allows players to build their own dungeon deathtraps and share them with the world. I didn’t spend too long with this feature, but the editor is robust and it’s clear that it will greatly enhance the game’s staying power and replayability.
Loot River is an excellent roguelike that carves its own space with unique elements in a genre that is otherwise a bit saturated. I’m looking forward to spending even more time with this one.
Loot River is available now on PC via Steam, Xbox One / Series X|S, and PlayStation (PS4 and PS5).
