Roguelike SFD (Sigma-Finite Dungeon) - a roguelike tactical RPG hybrid

[Galdred]

Spoiler

SFD stands for Sigma Finite Dungeon, but I had to look up the Steam page after completing the game to find out.
I have given it a shot, and I was pleasantly surprised:
It is an hybrid of roguelike and Final Fantasy Tactics style battles (with small maps and small movement pools).

Each character has 2 actions (most actions, except base attack and spells can only performed once a turn, so you cannot double move) every turn.
The game is pretty brutal as losing one guy can spiral out of control, but it is quite short.
There is nothing ground breaking, but I find the mechanisms tight:
You are always starved for move points, mana or actions in combat, and of gold and perks out of combat.
Character development is a bit simplistic: you can only choose perks or skills(or spells) for your main character, while your followers will randomly choose on level up.
You can also learn spells from scrolls (and skills by getting to a trainer).
You start as generalist, and can choose a specialization at level 5 (out of 8) between mage, warrior or general.
The spell list is short, but it covers a lot of ground, with summon, AoE, line attacks, crowd control...

Each level has rooms, that either contains crates/chests (without opponents), vendors, or opponents, with a boss in a final level room.
There are 8 levels.
Unlike rogues, you don't spend resources out of combat (but you cannot use healing and other skills either).

There is nothing to unlock, so you can beat the game relatively rapidly (I won on my 5th attempt), and a run can last for 6h or so.

Overall, the game is small in scope (there is a mobile version after all...), but has good combat while it lasts.

There is a demo on the steam page.

 

[Tiospo]

Great job anyway, great to see people developing tactical RPGs

 

[Darth Canoli]

After trying it, i thought it deserved some love and also tactical-RPG fans should play it because there isn't so many very good ones.

Didn't get to the ending yet but i've read there is only 8 floors, but it's higly replayable because it's damn good and because there is a lot of classes :

• 8 basic classes (adventurer, novice archer, thief, spearman, engineer, apprentice mage, novice warrior and cleric)
• 15 prestige classes (Warlord, Archmage, General, Necromancer, Bishop, Berserker, Assassin, Paladin ... )

Character development :

Basic, you only pick the skill you want for your main character and there is a limit of skills you can get for each class, like the adventurer can only upgrade his basic melee skill once, even if the skill limit is lvl 5, so you'll rely on shops (for spells), trainers and prestige classes to max them out, also this is where you can influence your build, optimizing the promotion to the prestige class.

Gameplay :

• 2 actions per round per character (limited to main +2 at first then upgradable), moving being one of them
• Your whole team acts, then it's the enemy turn
• 3 difficulty modes, normal starting on the easy side but sooner than later boss fights will get real tough (the second one will kill one of your goons if you're careless, the archer boss could wipe your whole team out if you let him)
  
• A lot of skills, different weapons skills, AoE physical skills, spells, AoE spells, web, dispel, debuffs, fireballs, chain lightning ...
  Fast paced and brutal, it's begging for a hard mode second playthrough.

Opinion :

• Very good
• Very addictive
• Very cheap
• A shame it's not 20 levels and more characters customization, maybe for the next one ?

 

[Darth Canoli]

I don't mind the merging but even if there is more visibility in general RPG discussion, this isn't a cRPG and it's probably far more appealing to T-RPG fans (Tactical-RPG being Tactical games with RPG elements), that's why i posted it in the tacticool section where it belongs.

 

[Darth Canoli]

So, i'm on the 6th floor, having a blast.

Third boss almost killed my Bishop twice in a row (death's door) but i was fucking lucky this time.
Fourth boss, on the other hand is fucking cheated and put my poor rune knight (the Bishop and the mage used protect spells) at death door too except a goblin just had to deliver the final blow, he'll be missed.

Fifth boss was dealt with with caution, i don't even want to know what his attacks do.

The dream team :

• Hero Archmage
• Elemental Mage
• Archer
• Bishop
• The Rune Knight replacement being a Berserker, wanted a tank but couldn't resist to upgrade the warrior to this one, he's a horrible brute, i love him.

Buying every spell scroll i come across, some spells are insane, some almost useless (like summon jelly, the AI doesn't target it and it barely attacks but i only have it at level 1)

Spoiler

Fireball is really good in coordination with placement attacks/spells (like attract and bash)
Chain lightning is overpowered on open space but it only happens on the boss mage map and he's the one using it ...
Energy Ray is really overpowered, i love that spell.
Meteor shower is just amazing.
And of course the binding spells (entanglement, ...) and attacks.

There's far more spells and skills than you'd think at first glance and by comparison, the combat is way better than Fell Seal's one but the latter has other qualities.

Big spoiler regarding the undead

Spoiler

Use heal or mass heal and ghosts are a threat no more, at some point, you'll just os most undead with a high level heal.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Not done with this game yet and slowly completed 2 more level in one week, apparently, one more to go.

6th boss, CC, these are extremely easy if you have the means to entangle them (as you should), still had a nasty energy ray as a range attack but only once a turn, didn't experience his CC attack.
6th level wasn't as fun as previous levels, more fights with the same enemies and to be honest, i was grinding a bit (letting the undead respawn)

7th boss is a huge motherfucker, no spoiler but this one was really cool, almost os my Bishop and next turn, after i healed him, got the main character to death's door with another unit help (even though he's got a lot of HP), lucky me, almost game over ...
7th level was way more fun with some nasty new enemies.

I find new spells regularly from shops; raise undead is quite good, even at level 1/5; that's fun.
High level fireball is almost the ultimate spell, behind meteor shower(no line of sight needed) but i don't have it this run, didn't find a single scroll MS scroll ...
Found an acid ball scroll, can't wait to try my new spell.

Also, many spells have unholy skill restrictions, meaning they're only available to necromancers and luckily, the Archmage hero.

 

[PrettyDeadman]

Is it GUD?

 

[Darth Canoli]

If you like tactical-RPG, it is.
Someone said 8 hours to finish the game, i'm way beyond that, i think it's more 12-16 hours for a first playthrough, faster if you rush a second or if you failed so many times you know exactly what you're doing.

And it has replayability to try new classes, which are all interesting, a lot of hybrid classes can learn spells and they all can learn skills outside their build, which makes the game more interesting.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Finished this one a while back by the way, i can confirm the dungeon has 8 levels.

Last boss is epic, could have been worse but he killed the Berserker.
Because i saw a screenshot before, i could avoid total destruction, i'm quite sure he'd have wipe the floor with me otherwise, he's huge and he's really mean.

Very good game, not very long but if you're searching for a fast and very good srpg with no story, you found it.