“We need new knights, but without swords.”
Contra and Metal Slug are two side scrolling twin stick shooters that are still revered to this day. Sadly this genre has seen a steady decline in popularity over the years and only the indie scene has shown this genre any love over the years. Rogue Stormers seeks to address the balance and breathe new life into genre.
The people of Ravensdale have discovered a new element called Goop. It has many amazing properties and it's used in everything from body creams, spreads and even as a fuel substitute. As you can imagine the people are crazy about this discovery. But as with all things there is always a downside. Goop has the unfortunate side effect of transforming the population into monsters whose only desire is to seek anything with a pulse and kill it. This is not good news so you and your ragtag bunch of knights are let loose on the infected and if you can't save the city you'll die trying.
Rogue Stormers let's you pick a knight that is tied into one of five different classes. Unfortunately four of the classes must be unlocked so you're instantly restricted in your choice of character. You must complete various missions to unlock each class so you're lumbered with a character whose play style might not suit you straight away. As you battle towards the inevitable boss battle you will gain experience points and also unlock buffs which allow you to level up your character. The way you upgrade your character is random or so it seems to me. You get the option to choose between two upgrades by opening chests and I have no idea how these are picked. It makes a mockery out of the system because it is all left to chance. Each of the five characters can eventually reach their peak at level sixty. I'm pretty sure this level would make your more of a God than a knight.
There is a robust four player local co-op mode and a four player online co-op mode to choose from and you'll need every bit of help you can get. Playing Rogue Stormers on your own is a fate worse than death. This game is punishing and it's been a long time since a game kicked my arse this much. Starting out as a low level character is a nightmare. You'll be screaming for help after just a few minutes. There are so many overpowered enemies rushing at you at once it's a struggle to survive just a few minutes. I know these types of games are known for their difficulty levels but bloody hell this game just seems to harsh. Co-op does make the game much more manageable and in turn a lot more fun although I still died a lot. At least Rogue Stormers never gives you any time to get bored.
A simple game like this needs simple but responsive controls but here they are a mixed bag. They are responsive and simple, sort of. Your left thumb stick moves you while the right stick moves your weapon and also fires it in that direction. The bumper buttons are used for your special abilities and dash. You interact with various things using the Y and A buttons and weirdly the jump button is the left trigger. Sometimes something just feels off and it's hard to explain what exactly it is that's wrong. This is the case with Rogue Stormers controls. The controls seem misplaced with buttons that should be close together on the joypad miles apart and the responsiveness you need in a game like this just felt off.
Do you like goblins. Well if you do you're going to be one happy bunny here. You're going to be fighting lots and lots goblins. Small goblins, big goblins, goblins that fly, medium sized goblins and the odd robot. There is very little variety from one enemy to the next. Unfortunately boss fights seem to come with their own unwritten rules and they constantly appear and disappear through walls which not only makes an already hard game even harder but it also just ends in the game being turned off.
Online co-op is the best way to play Rogue Stormers but that also has problems of its own. How far you have progressed in the single player mode dictates which character you can choose when playing online. So you're forced to play the single-player game just to unlock the other knights which is a ludicrous decision. The wait times to join a game were lengthy but this might have been down to the player base on release day. Hopefully this will improve with time or just make sure you have four friends ready for some local co-op. Rogue Stormers is a game best played in co-op and should only be tackled in single player by seasoned veterans of the genre because of its punishing difficulty.
Developer: Black Forest Games GmbH
Publisher: Black Forest Games GmbH
Website: Rogue Stormers
Twitter: @BlackForestTeam
Rogue Stormers is available now for £15.99
Review code supplied by Black Forest Games.