PAX West Spotlight: Foregone
By: TheJewphin
What would happen if you turned Dead Cells into a full length game? Well, you'd have a non-roguelike Dead Cells. But since they haven't done that yet, you should check out Foregone, a game which is very vocal about its love for Dead Cells.
Forgeone is an action plaftormer where you play as an Arbiter tasked with keeping the piece at all shots. To this end you are armed with a melee weapon, a ranged weapon, and a host of special abilities ranging from a murderous dash to an area of effect blast. While Foregone owes a lot to Dead Cells in appearance and action style, it differs in a focus on a continuing story and permanent upgrades in lieu of the roguelike permadeath mechanics.
In terms of combat, Foregone feels very fluid. Switching between melee and ranged attacks is fast and effective and the slide, akin to Dead Cell's roll, is very easy to use to dodge attacks. I also really enjoyed some of the special abilities. The dash attack in particular was an awesome way of clearing out three or four enemies at a time, though that power is balanced by a long recharge time.
While it is easy to draw comparisons to Dead Cells in terms of gameplay, the art feels very unique to Foregone. The main protagonist stands a head shorter than most of her enemies, but moves with a wonderful fluidity and grace that makes killing them all the more satisfying. The environmental art is also a lot grander, making you feel as if you are part of a gorgeous but desolated world instead of trapped in a sewer or dungeon.
Overall, if you liked the gameplay of Dead Cells but want a fuller story-rich experience where you can find and keep weapons and abilities you like while growing ever more powerful, Foregone is a great game to play.
Check out the latest trailer below:
