Developer: Puuba 

Publisher: Mastertronic

Release Date: Apr 29, 2015

Where to buy?: Steam

I am a sucker for rogue like titles lately. Ever since playing Rogue Legacy on PC back a couple years ago, I have always enjoyed each new game in that same challenging aspect. Enter The Weaponographist, yet another entry into the pile that adds difficult and sometimes unfair gameplay into the mix. How does it do?

World-famous demon hunter Doug McGrave has been cursed by a witch for refusing to rid of demons in the town of Hellside and now he is constantly losing power when he isn’t killing demons, and he is forced to help save the village from evil. This is as far as the story goes, and it’s essentially pointless in the grand scheme of things. The few lines of dialogue spoken by the town’s people are funny, but theres nothing else to really point you in a direction. While I understand these type of games not needing a story, I would have liked for at least a little more in the way of a narrative.  What is provided is pretty funny however, so I will give kudos for that. Making me laugh in a game is much appreciated.

The top down 2D style of The Weapnographist is a nice different touch on rogue games.

The gameplay itself reminds me of a less polished Binding of Isaac. You move with your WASD keys, and use the arrow keys to shoot in which direction you press. While basic, it does the job real well. You are going through a dungeon type area that leads to a boss that you must beat to continue on, much like Binding of Isaac.  What is a nice addition is the feature of saving. Some may argue this makes the game too easy, but I feel its a nice addition that gives you a little more freedom in how you tackle a dungeon. You start a dungeon with no weapons, and you find weapons and items by defeating monsters. Weapons have durability however, so salvaging your gear for the entire dungeon is crucial, or you will have a very hard time fighting the boss with just your fists, however it is still possible.

In town, you will be able to upgrade equipment, making the dungeons not as taxing, however the challenge also goes up the further in the game you go along. You will be constantly challenged and tested. If you are not a gamer that likes a challenge, you may not be interested in this title. That being said, any gamer looking for a serious challenge to their gaming skills will really dig this title. Fast paced action, witty humor, and downright rediculous enemies provide a challenge to gamers of any skill level, and require you to think on how to best get through a dungeon and progess.

 Every room provides a different challenge.

Graphically the game is a very colorful and pleasant to look at top down 2D title. Colorful graphics really make The Weaponographist pop, the animiations of the enemies and your own character are really well done and polished. I have no complaints about the game visually. It does what it needs to do, and does it well. The game is colorful, and doesn’t feel drab like many other games in this genre. A very nice touch. Something I will go ahead and advise is that you play this on a controller. I played with a keyboard and it really felt restrictive. Hitting combo’s was harder than it needed to be, and at times the controls on keyboard just felt a little delayed. Not every time mind you, but enough to where I noticed it. When I tried it on the controller however, I enjoyed the game much more, and it felt more comfortable overall. Chalk up another win to a controller over a keyboard.

The music and sounds in the game just didn’t appeal to me if I had to be blunt about that. Nothing felt really memorable music wise, and the noises the enemies make just feel forced, and you hear the noises far too often for them to feel unique. The music, while at times enjoyable, just doesn’t fit in with some of the bosses, and situations. I would of liked fast paced music in an area I am dodging a lot of attacks, and slow, dreadful music when fighting a boss. While at times the music does hit these points, largely overall it falls flat. While not a deal breaker, it was a bit of a letdown.

Overall I like The Weaponographist. It’s a nice addition to the rogue like genre that is becoming real popular lately, and provides a challenge to gamers new and old. If you can get by the ho-hum soundtrack, and the difficulty curve, you will find a very enjoyable title that offers a lot of replay-ability. While it does nothing radically different to change the genre, The Weaponographist is a pleasant enough title to enjoy it on its own merits.

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