Helvetii

Genre: Action-Platformer / Roguelike

Players: 1

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Review:

Helvetii is an Action-Platformer with Roguelike elements released in 2023 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. In this game set in a medieval fantasy world, an evil force has exploited the ambition of an aspiring warlord to spread its menace across the land, and three warriors head out to put an end to this threat. In terms of gameplay, players explore through randomly-distributed rooms, taking out enemies, collecting treasure, and finding upgrades to enhance their abilities and make themselves stronger.

I think the Action-Platformer side of things here does a decent enough job of giving players some satisfying combo-focused combat. The three characters are each reasonably different, with a standard melee fighter, a weaker but faster fighter who can use timed counter-attacks, and a fighter who attacks remotely by commanding a raven but is less capable of dealing with threats that get too close. Attacks in this game have a good visceral feel to them, with a decent enough variety that players feel like they’re building combos and not just button-mashing. I do think the hit detection can be a tad spotty at times, but mostly this gameplay element works pretty well.

The Roguelike side of things, on the other hand, doesn’t seem quite as strong. The upgrades you’ll be getting are a bit too far and few between, and they don’t seem to do much to shake up your standard abilities, and the sort of variety you expect from a Roguelike just isn’t present here. It still works, it’s just not quite what you’d hope for.

The presentation is good, using 2D visuals with a lot of detail and personality to them, although I do think they animate a bit stiffly. These visuals are supported by a moody orchestral soundtrack and mostly-decent voice acting (the beastman character’s voice can get a bit annoying). Overall, this game looks and sounds pretty good.

That’s kinda’ how I see Helvetii overall: it’s pretty good! Not bad, not great, but a decent Action-Platformer that has a few rough edges and Roguelike elements that aren’t quite everything they’re cut out to be, but that overall still makes for a reasonably satisfying game that’s worth trying out.

tl;dr – Helvetii is an Action-Platformer with Roguelike elements, and while the Roguelike side of things is kinda’ half-baked, the Action-Platformer combat is good, making for an enjoyable game that’s worth trying out.

Grade: B-

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