Beneath Oresa: indie game review
The independently produced video game “Beneath Oresa” takes a new perspective on the typical roguelike deckbuilding game. Instead of taking place in a 2D plane, the game allows the player to see their character and the enemies in 3D. This also includes the actions that both take in 3D in conjunction with the cards that the player uses in real-time. Though still in early access, “Beneath Oresa” shows an incredible amount of promise as a roguelike deck builder.
December 8, 2022
Indie games, or games produced by independent developers and not the typical AAA game studios, take up a majority of the games that Steam produces; yet countless never see any significant amounts of fame. Several define a little-known game called “Beneath Oresa”, a roguelike deck builder, taking place within an ancient city crawling with monsters whilst also maintaining the character’s health and relationship with their companion. The indie game was released November 3, 2022, by the development team at Broken Spear Inc. Though the game still remains in an early access state, the animations that manufacture the main design point sets it apart from other deck-building games. The game keeps true to the standard deck-building genre with the way that the card and cost aspects of the game work, but the animation style and companion aspect of the game make it a step apart from the rest.
“Roguelikes, unlike other traditional linear games, have the possibility to offer thousands of hours of content. Depending on the game, a singular full run can take as little as 15 minutes and as much as 2 hours. But where roguelikes shine, is that you will often have to complete hundreds of these runs to experience everything these games have to offer,” junior Ayden Porch said.
The game features a 3D view of the character and the enemies and utilizes a middle mouse button to scroll between and select enemies. The animations fall in line with the cards in play, providing a feeling that the character actually acts out the effect input. These animations also persist throughout the loading screens where one can see the character running through the underground city in a variety of backgrounds, as well as waiting on the elevator that deposits them into the ruins. The combination of animations and accurate input makes for a near-seamless playthrough with few breaks in the immersion if any.
“I think that game immersion is one of the key points to a game in the first place. How else are you supposed to get attached to the characters? I play games I enjoy and I like to understand the game as best as I can,” junior Ezekiel Cotton said.
Unfortunately, the game still rests in early access and needs work; the developers made it clear that they intend to add other factions and characters to that game, as well as cards to flesh it out. The developers, however, stated that with the game as it currently functions, it offers the same replayability as if it became finished. The replayability that the game offers comes from the nature of the genre of game it inhabits, namely a roguelike. The roguelike aspect of the game allows for an infinite amount of variations to the base game with all the items and cards that the player can gain and the different maps that randomly generate. With all of the variables available, the game ensures that no playthrough will ever feel the exact same.
The Chant’s Grade: B-
