You are the creator of this story, not really the actor. The AI takes those reigns. You equip weapons and armor on your hero, and even have a choice of hero as you progress in building out your basecamp with collected resources from previous loops, but the primary game loop is really just exercising agency over the world building using resources randomly handed out, not really running a roguelike rampart against a world created by the game itself. Combat is entirely played out but the AI for both friend and foe.

You don't run the loop other than telling your hero to pause or resume. What you are not really in control of is, well, everything else. So you are in control of the deck, the map, and how most things get laid out on it except for only a very few random enemy spawns. What populates the map is created each loop by you and you alone - strategically and intentionally, not randomly. The randomly generated map, however, is really just a running track that makes a circle with a few kinks to break up an even curve - but nothing more. There is a deck-building element, in that you can stack your deck with the very tiles that will eventually build out the world itself. Everything you are going to experience in the world loop is pre-determined by how you select the possible tiles before you even leave your basecamp. However, it's that last point that makes me question whether calling Loop Hero a roguelike kind of misses the point. But along the route of that map you will encounter enemies on a somewhat random basis, earn loot in a consistently random payout, and place cards randomly acquired to build the world. Is it a procedurally generated dungeon? Ehhhh, not really. Every loop does trace a map different than those before it. While I am not as sold on the first point after playing, I can now attest to the second two: the visuals in this game from still shots or even gameplay videos will never do the gameplay itself justice, and once you pick it up it does embody the very best of the roguelike effect - always leaving you wanting just one more run loop.īut while it embraces the best effect of the roguelike, I hesitate to really call it a true roguelike.

If I had read that review from earlier in the year, I had forgotten everything about the game except: it's a roguelike, it's pretty basic in the visuals department, and it is highly addictive. and largely I really didn't know what I was in for. I can't see a second chance come around for a game that highly regarded by another GN staffer and not take the opportunity. I mean, like, really loved it, was writing articles about it daily. I can't even remember if I had read Randy's review for PC from 9 months back, but I certainly remembered that he loved the game. When I saw Loop Hero was releasing for the Switch I knew I had to try it.

Loop hero gameplay