Bandango
05-20-2009, 03:40 PM
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/wayft.jpg
For me, the rougelike has always contained a mythical weight in its moniker. When I was a kid I was very certainly unsure of what a rougelike was, but that never stopped me from imagining very clearly what one should be. Back then, I thought of them as these cutthroat kinds of games where you slink around in shadows, thieve from whoever needs thieving, and basically do whatever you want to whomever you wanted. In the years since, I’ve found that my imagination wasn’t so far off. If you so desire, these are things that definitely can be done. However, the other thing that I discovered, much to my disappointment, is that most rougelikes are ugly ASCII messes. It’s hard to get into a game when your avatar is a letter. This level of abstraction can distract a player from the deeply gratifying gameplay that a rougelike can provide. Wayfarer does not make that mistake. It still uses a minimum of graphics, but the implementation of an adjustable camera and a 3d environment makes all the difference in the world. I hate to admit that something as superficial as that improved my experience with this game, but it did. For those of you out there who have never played a rougelike, this is a good way to start.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/wyf1.jpg
Here’s the main idea. When you create a character, you play him until he dies. When he does, you lose all of your equipment. The only real way to improve your character is through the collection of new and better items, so when you lose everything, you lose everything. The only real reason to play is to collect these better items and to explore new levels of the dungeon. Beyond that, there is no story. Each floor, though, is randomly generated, so every time you play there’s something new. If this all sounds very plain and simple, that’s because it is, and that’s what’s so appealing about this game. You can zone out, listen to a podcast, (Might I suggest the most recent episode of Out of the Game (http://mexicutedbyhepitacos.libsyn.com/)?) and grind. You accrue new items at a steady pace, so there is always that feeling of accomplishment. The interface is similarly plain, and while only using the keyboard may be a little jarring at first, within an hour of play you’ll feel right at home.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/wyf2.jpg
Probably the most surprising bit of Wayfarer was the music. Different chiptune renditions of classical classics accompany your rampage through each dungeon floor. Carmina Burana is most adequate for prebattle pump up-age. The art is thin but it works, and, like I said before, the three dimensional environments somehow tricked my brain into thinking this game was far better looking than it is. As far as time wasters go, you can’t do much better than this. And by the way, you can play it in your browser.
Wayfarer is:
-a good introduction to rougelikes.
-friendly in its three dimensionality.
-full of items to keep you collecting.
Play it here-
http://benhem.com/games/wayfarer/
For me, the rougelike has always contained a mythical weight in its moniker. When I was a kid I was very certainly unsure of what a rougelike was, but that never stopped me from imagining very clearly what one should be. Back then, I thought of them as these cutthroat kinds of games where you slink around in shadows, thieve from whoever needs thieving, and basically do whatever you want to whomever you wanted. In the years since, I’ve found that my imagination wasn’t so far off. If you so desire, these are things that definitely can be done. However, the other thing that I discovered, much to my disappointment, is that most rougelikes are ugly ASCII messes. It’s hard to get into a game when your avatar is a letter. This level of abstraction can distract a player from the deeply gratifying gameplay that a rougelike can provide. Wayfarer does not make that mistake. It still uses a minimum of graphics, but the implementation of an adjustable camera and a 3d environment makes all the difference in the world. I hate to admit that something as superficial as that improved my experience with this game, but it did. For those of you out there who have never played a rougelike, this is a good way to start.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/wyf1.jpg
Here’s the main idea. When you create a character, you play him until he dies. When he does, you lose all of your equipment. The only real way to improve your character is through the collection of new and better items, so when you lose everything, you lose everything. The only real reason to play is to collect these better items and to explore new levels of the dungeon. Beyond that, there is no story. Each floor, though, is randomly generated, so every time you play there’s something new. If this all sounds very plain and simple, that’s because it is, and that’s what’s so appealing about this game. You can zone out, listen to a podcast, (Might I suggest the most recent episode of Out of the Game (http://mexicutedbyhepitacos.libsyn.com/)?) and grind. You accrue new items at a steady pace, so there is always that feeling of accomplishment. The interface is similarly plain, and while only using the keyboard may be a little jarring at first, within an hour of play you’ll feel right at home.
http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww294/GoldenSandlewood/wyf2.jpg
Probably the most surprising bit of Wayfarer was the music. Different chiptune renditions of classical classics accompany your rampage through each dungeon floor. Carmina Burana is most adequate for prebattle pump up-age. The art is thin but it works, and, like I said before, the three dimensional environments somehow tricked my brain into thinking this game was far better looking than it is. As far as time wasters go, you can’t do much better than this. And by the way, you can play it in your browser.
Wayfarer is:
-a good introduction to rougelikes.
-friendly in its three dimensionality.
-full of items to keep you collecting.
Play it here-
http://benhem.com/games/wayfarer/