Lone Ruin | Nintendo Switch

Little info is given on the mysterious backstory of Super Rare Games' published title, "Lone Ruin", other than the fact that you are a masked magic wielding elvish explorer going into what looks to be ancient Persian style ruins. This is shown through a pixel perfect parallax cinematic intro in which the protagonist, cloak and all, stands before a glowing portal with fist raised and imbued with magic flames. The entire spectacle being a collective of pinks, purples, and blues. Something of which carries on over into the isometric 3D point of view in which the actual adventure begins. 

Before getting started on said adventure a handful of main menu options are made available to the player. This includes two modes of play. One being the main mode of play, and the other a spin-off side option called, 'Survival'. There's that, and three different difficulties to choose from including Easy, Medium, and Hard. Settings to sound levels, screen shaking intensity, and display options such as numerical hit markers are also made available through the leaderboard sub-menu which doubles as the game's online leaderboard listings. 

Modes in the game are different by design, but incorporate the same roguelike twin stick shooter approach with bullet hell style enemies as the mainstay threat. In the Arcade mode, or main mode, gameplay is to the point. You start off by approaching a shadowy figure that will allow you to select from several different starter weapons or projectiles and test them out on some adjacent stray dummies. This will be your main form of offense going forward whereas defense is an evasive dash that is a given for each playthrough. 

After taking up arms you will choose between two branching entrances that are marked by name. Going in you will face off against a certain number of enemies before clearing it, and reaping your reward. That reward being either an upgrade, new weapon, healing refill, or perk. This happens with each room you transition into via branching pathways, and as you progress different looting opportunities will become available though randomly so. The only catch being the occasional boss room in which a boss must be defeated in order to continue. For each run there are several bosses to defeat, and as you do so your score for efforts rendered throughout that collective of rooms will increase, and be tallied up as well as uploaded to the game's leaderboard. Point values respectively allotted for each feat.

One thing to note, aside from the playthrough objectives, is that your character starts off with a limited stock of health that will deplete quickly if you don't mind the enemies and their projectiles. The further you make it into the ruins the more enemies there are, and the more aggressive they become. With the difficulty setting factored in this challenge can be decreased or ramped up. Also worth noting are the cooldowns on some of the weapons. Magic projectiles often times come with a cooldown that must refill before the next use. Making dodging via the evasive dash a must. You'll even find some protective spells along the way which can help to mitigate potential damage. While health is a limited commodity though it too can be upgraded. It can also be refilled through collected heart power-ups that are dropped by defeated enemies. Speaking of power-ups, the enemies will drop additional currency which can be spent in upgrade rooms for more powerful spells. Even mana or MP power-ups are dropped on occasion to refill a secondary meter used for ability/spell casting.

In a slightly similar yet varied spin on this main mode formula, 'Survival' takes the challenge and ups the ante. You are basically placed in a single area, and allowed to pick from a starter weapon. After this it's wave after wave of enemies for the farming. As the timer counts down you will fill up a long purple meter with kills allowing you to choose from more spells, weapons, upgrades, heals, and defensive options in a randomized roguelike fashion. The longer you survive though the more intense the waves of enemies become, but the better the rewards. As with the main mode this is a score based endeavor, and things like waves beat, and time survived are accounted for and tallied before being uploaded to the leaderboards.

The Presentation ...

Visually, 'Lone Ruin', is a sight to behold. It is pixel art with a modern indie flair done up in a 3D fashion in an isometric view. The colors are mostly of purples, pinks, and blues. Enhanced by the somber symphonic music that plays as you do what you do. The soundtrack itself is quite impressive, ambient, moody, and atmospheric. A truly complimentary accent on an artistically creative game.

The Verdict ...

While some backstory from "Lone Ruin" would be good the game does alright in giving the player enough to go by to figure things out, and properly understand the gameplay mechanics. Though you are forced into gameplay with no real sense of direction, things do make sense rather quickly, especially for those who are into the roguelike genre and twin stick shooters. This is, by the way, a roguelike twin stick shooter, and it shows. As far as art style is concerned that is this game's sweet spot. The graphics really give the game it's unique personality, and along with the impressive soundtrack creates an entertaining and engaging experience. For what it's worth it earns my respect for it's minimalist approach, and my approval for trying something a little different. The fact that it sets itself apart, presentation-wise, is a good deal in and of itself. Bottom line is this ... Don't miss out on this one of you have a Switch, and are into roguelikes. The replay value is high!!!