Before I begin, I must let you know that Leap of Fate is in Early Access at the time of writing. This is different from most games that I’ve played in early access because it is extremely polished. I haven’t encountered any problems and it seems like it is only missing content.
Don’t let that fool you though, the game has plenty of content already for the $16 price tag. It has only been in Early Access a little over 2 weeks, and the first content update is coming out this Friday, August 21st.
A different kind of rogue-like
What makes this game so good is how they combine different elements from multiple genres. The combat is intense and fast-paced, like an action game. You can progress your character with several abilities, both passive and active, like a deep role-playing game.
Then, you have the rogue-like feature of only having one life and if you die, you start over from the beginning. What sets this game apart for me is that most rogue-likes, though fun, are very frustrating when I die.
This game, however, just makes me want to play again because each experience is different and the gameplay is just so fun. Each time you start, the fates give you a random assortment of cards. These determine the challenges you’ll face and the skills you have access to during that play through.
You still have a choice on what to do, it is just limited. This makes the game different every time you play and gives you that sense of discovery to find out everything in Leap of Fate.
Unlocking abilities through achievements
Something else that’s cool about this game is that you can unlock permanent upgrades by completing achievements. One example is doing an achievement that unlocks a damage increase for basic attack. When you unlock it, you a start every play-through with increased damage. This allows you to progress even though you start over after each death.
There are also multiple difficulties to unlock that give more challenges and different stages and enemies to fight. There is only one character, but there will be a total of four, with the second coming at the end of the week.
Each character has their own magic style and abilities so this greatly increases the depth and replay value of the game. There is also a story that goes along with each character and cut scenes that match the style of the game perfectly.
What could improve this game?
Leap of Fate honestly already has a lot going for it, but there are a few things that could make it better. Based on the nature of the game, a multiplayer option would be cool once the other characters are unlocked. The game does not need this to be fun, but I think it would be a nice addition and interesting for a rogue-like.
The biggest issue is controlling the character. You can’t change the controls and it is awkward to get used to. I died many times just because it is tough moving your character in one direction and shooting in another at times. This is the only big problem I see and I hope they change this soon. Controller support would also be great and just makes sense for the type of game it is.
More content would be good, and since the game is in early access, that will be fixed automatically over time and when it is complete.
Worth a purchase?
Absolutely! Even though Leap of Fate is in Early Access and $16 may seem steep to some, I believe it is worth it. If the game looks even remotely interesting to you, I promise you’ll enjoy it. This game appeals to fans of all genres and even if you haven’t played, or like, rogue-like games, this is definitely worth a shot.
