Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Necropolis, a procedurally generated "diabolical dungeon delve" from Harebrained Schemes

agris

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Apr 16, 2004
Messages
6,764
Ok ok, hug it out and lets get back to hoping that HBS's next non-SR game isn't the same level of shit as Golem Arcana.
 

almondblight

Arcane
Joined
Aug 10, 2004
Messages
2,549
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be showing a playable sneak-peek of Necropolis at PAX East next weekend! If you’re in town for the show, head to Booth #10187 to be one of the first brave adventurers to test your skill in an early, pre-alpha demo of the game.

We hope to see you all at PAX!

mindx2
 
Unwanted

Kalin

Unwanted
Dumbfuck Zionist Agent
Joined
Sep 29, 2010
Messages
1,868,264
Location
Al Scandiya
LX3JZTa.png


PrZwwxO.png


psNgrsM.jpg


Now that's Necropolis.
 

Athelas

Arcane
Joined
Jun 24, 2013
Messages
4,502
That art style and that music don't scream 'city of the dead' to me - at all.

The bipedal loin-clothed purple shark isn't exactly helping either.
 

Darth Roxor

Royal Dongsmith
Staff Member
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,878,406
Location
Djibouti
I wanted to say 'this looks dangerously much like Stunlocks: The Game' but then I realised the guy playing it is a massive scrublord.
 

made

Arcane
Joined
Dec 18, 2006
Messages
5,130
Location
Germany
Meh. Stylized polygon graphics can look very atmospheric (see, again, Another World) but this just looks cheap.
 

Merlkir

Arcane
Developer
Joined
Oct 12, 2008
Messages
1,216
Is it just me, or are the sounds of pretty much everything in this game extremely unpleasant?
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-03-11-necropolis-aims-to-blend-dark-souls-and-spelunky

Necropolis aims to blend Dark Souls and Spelunky
Shadowrun Returns dev's upcoming action-roguelike shows promise.

Ask me my favourite game of all-time and I'm split between two titles: Spelunky and Demon's Souls. Excitingly, Shadowrun Returns developer Harebrained Schemes is attempting to mix the two in its upcoming action roguelike Necropolis. Whether it will succeed in such a lofty ambition is another matter, but the Shadowrun developer seems to have a good grasp on what it's doing, even if it's following in From and Mossmouth's nearly impossible to follow footsteps.

Taking hold of the controller in Necropolis puts you right in pure Souls territory. The right trigger buttons handle light and heavy attacks, left triggers block and bump the shield, the D-pad handles weapon and item swapping, while the face buttons evade and use items. There is a dedicated jump button - so that's new - but the basic skeleton of Necropolis will feel familiar to anyone who's handled a Souls game.

While the controls are well-worn territory, the design is entirely new. This is a procedurally generated dungeon-crawler with a neon, aquamarine-hued aesthetic. Passages, enemy waves, and items reconstruct with every playthrough as you take the reins of what essentially amounts to a groundskeeper whose omnipotent boss' collection of demons has run amok in an ever-shifting inter-dimensional zoo.

In truth, the very early pre-alpha build Harebrained Schemes shows me doesn't demonstrate this to a noticeable degree. Where one playthrough has an open passage to the left, another has one to the right, but the sorts of foes I encounter are largely the same. This won't be the case in the final build, however, and the team at Harebrained describe all sorts of complex interlaced systems they've been brewing.

Necropolis' most promising feature is its robust ecology. Each monster type will have its own unique behaviour and place in the food chain. There will be hermit crab-like critters that scuttle into view and munch on magic items before you have a chance to snag them. Another type of creature will duplicate everything it touches, be it a helpful item or a dangerous foe. Swift gremlins will bother you then dash away, but if you can slay them you'll be able to use their corpses as bait to avoid larger foes. "We want a coherent ecosystem of monsters," explains design director Dennis Detwiler. "Imagine the Bronx zoo 200 years after people were there."

It's not just the creatures that radically alter the environment, as you'll be at the mercy of the Necropolis' liege, the Brazen Head. The Brazen Head is a magical creature in charge of sorting out the Necropolis before its founder, the great wizard Abraxis, returns. As such, he will offer you optional side-quests throughout your journey and respond to your behaviour. For example, he may ask you to clear out a hall of gem eaters. Fulfill his wishes and he'll reward you with some sweet gear. Defy him and he'll make things more difficult for you.

"You can serve him, you can defy him, and we want him to react differently to you when you do those things," Detwiler explains. "He can give you a fetch quest and you can refuse to do it. The prices may go up if you defy him. There may be no potions of vigor available at all on the level because he's removed them. It should feel like he's messing with you quite a bit."

While these concepts all sound lovely, the early build I play is focused primarily on Necropolis' combat, which is still pretty rough around the edges. "We don't want to compete with Dark Souls' combat," Detwiler tells me, but Necropolis' nearly identical control scheme suggests otherwise. It doesn't quite measure up to its inspiration, understandably. Some foes can be bested by simply mashing the same attack a dozen times while they recover, while the feedback dictating whether your shield is blocking a hit could certainly use some work. Overall, the fighting feels sluggish and floaty in this pre-alpha.

If you ask me, the Souls games have the most refined combat in the business (though Monster Hunter rivals it), so no one can blame a 14-person team from not wanting to compete. But I can't help but feel like its robust variety of attacks (light, heavy, charge versions of each, aerial, etc) feels a little too complex for a roguelike, a genre that bases its charms on accessibility. After all, Spelunky's core combat - lashing a whip - is as simple as an early Castlevania game. Sure, it gets more convoluted as other weapons and accessories are introduced, but it never extends beyond one-button attacks (with a trusty bomb remaining a consistent secondary throughout). Perhaps Harebrained is biting off a little more than it can chew at the moment and something simpler (maybe more akin to Wind Waker?) would better serve the already ambitious project.

Thankfully, combat isn't always the best way to go about things. There will be many ways to avoid the more dangerous foes, such as potions that allow you to turn invisible or fly for a brief period of time. You'll also be able to draw enemies away with bait, get monsters to fight each other, or lure foes to traps and teleporters. Just don't accidentally stand on the teleporter yourself after doing that.

Currently Necropolis is looking a little craggy, but it's hard not to see the potential Harebrained Schemes is concocting as it adds more ingredients to the mix. Given that it's only been in full development since November - with only a handful of developers prototyping it for a few months prior - it's way too early to determine how the final product will end up. Yet Harebrained is toying with some really auspicious ideas here and the studio has a nice track record, so it should be a lot of fun to watch this delirious realm take shape as it wraps up development next year.
 

Metro

Arcane
Beg Auditor
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
27,792
Sounds much better than Shittyrun Retards the iOS RPGlite.
 

Ranselknulf

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 28, 2012
Messages
1,879,485
Location
Best America
PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Art style isn't perfect for my tastes but I could get past it if the game mechanics are enjoyable.

The looks of a game are always secondary to how fun the mechanics are.. well unless ur a AAA popamole fagget.

so a darker roguelike zelda? could be interesting, though i'd prefer more actual rpgs.

That's the impression I got as well.
 

Metro

Arcane
Beg Auditor
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
27,792
Necropolis' most promising feature is its robust ecology. Each monster type will have its own unique behaviour and place in the food chain. There will be hermit crab-like critters that scuttle into view and munch on magic items before you have a chance to snag them. Another type of creature will duplicate everything it touches, be it a helpful item or a dangerous foe. Swift gremlins will bother you then dash away, but if you can slay them you'll be able to use their corpses as bait to avoid larger foes. "We want a coherent ecosystem of monsters," explains design director Dennis Detwiler. "Imagine the Bronx zoo 200 years after people were there."

:kingcomrade:
 

ColCol

Arcane
Joined
Jul 12, 2012
Messages
1,731
That art style and that music don't scream 'city of the dead' to me - at all.

The bipedal loin-clothed purple shark isn't exactly helping either.


street_sharks_001_9594.jpg
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom