"Whenever I go back for another run-which isn't too often these days, though I did spend at least three solid months of my 2020 malaise deep in a foxhole-I'm always impressed by the game's ability to wring near-infinite permutations of itself out of a relatively restrained framework. I say "restrained" with an asterisk here because, as any vets well know, the game is packed full with enough ideas to keep"
"One successful run usually clocks in at around 30 minutes. onboards you painlessly, and it's not long before you've internalized the game's core mechanics and progression systems, free thereafter to relinquish yourself to their combinations. (Contrast with a roguelike like The Binding of Isaac , which uses the genre's randomized, cyclical structure as a vector for dizzying mechanical maximalism, tipping the scale more toward chaos and unpredictability (to great effect) than careful strategizing.)"
"Developer Supergiant Games could have made bigger, surely, but they didn't. Bigger would have been unnecessary, and wasn't built to sustain the unnecessary. It was built to be , quickly and repeatedly. It cut right to the bone. Why add more? is Supergiant's first sequel. This tracks for a couple reasons: one, sold a gazillion copies, and two, it was the studio's first genuinely excellent video game."
Design emphasizes minimal, tightly honed systems that yield near-infinite permutations from a restrained framework. The game combines six weapons, four zones with one boss each, and themed powerups to create distinct playstyle variations. Typical runs last about thirty minutes, and onboarding is painless, allowing players to quickly internalize core mechanics and progression. The randomized structure promotes repeatable strategizing rather than chaotic mechanical maximalism. Supergiant Games intentionally restrained scope, prioritizing speed, repeatability, and focused depth over an expansive feature set. Strong sales and prior studio experience explain the decision to develop a sequel.
Read at Kotaku
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