More than just another roguelike?
The world of Ekis has been thrown into chaos by unknown forces. The seaside bastion, known as the Sapir Wharf, and home of the Guardians has been attacked by a mysterious robotic army. As the last remaining Guardian of the wharf, Elsie must investigate the cause behind the attacks on her home, and the disappearance of her friends while uncovering the truth of her creation. Experience a Neo retro roguelike with classic run and gun gameplay, infused with roguelike mechanics and tightly tuned into a bullet hell ballet. Dash, dive and shoot across gorgeous neon-drenched pixel art stages.
Elsie is a roguelike run-and-gun shooter, dying is part of the process as you would expect from the genre. Elsie will get stronger as she goes, gaining permanent upgrades if you are lucky. The shooting works well, enemies are nicely mixed and bosses are tough, but memorable.
It has that retro vibe to it, almost like Mega Man or a 2D Metroid, but with bullet hell situations. The pacing is a bit odd, but that’s more or less the only complaint I have. The controls are solid throughout and any death won’t feel like a mistake of the game, but of your own making. Yes, you may curse at the TV saying it’s the game’s fault, but you’ll know deep down that it really wasn’t.
The pixel visuals are nice and add to that retro feel. The music also feels authentically retro, while the framerate is solid throughout and I didn’t come across any glitches during my playthrough.
The Verdict
Elsie is a blast to play. It feels retro, while providing a decent roguelike experience. It handles well and for those who love 90s style action-platformers, I highly recommend it.