HyperRogue

 PC
Metascore
tbd

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User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. someone132
    Jan 3, 2017
    7
    I tend to mark harsher then most people, so my 7 still means HyperRogue is actually a rather cool game for what it is, especially if you getI tend to mark harsher then most people, so my 7 still means HyperRogue is actually a rather cool game for what it is, especially if you get it on sale. I'm therefore disappointed neither critics nor players have reviewed it here in the full year since it was released, and will have to fill in myself.

    In short, it's a simultaneous turn-based roguelike/roguelite with a heavy focus on exploration. You move on a grid of vaguely hexagonal shapes (they are brownish and more sand-like in the Desert, for instance, while looking exactly like leaves for the Jungle/Dry Forest/etc.), collecting zone-specific treasure as it appears and fighting equally zone-specific enemies who move at the same time as you do. This combat is very simple: you always die in one hit, but so do (the vast majority) of enemies. Moreover, the game will prevent you from going into a waiting enemy's range and making any other moves that will kill you: up until the point such moves become unavoidable as you're surrounded. The grid wraps around a sphere so that it always looks like you're on a planet: moreover, it can and will expand indefinitely as you move through it. Move in any given direction through any zone for a while and you will find entrances to other zones, which is where the fun lies.

    This last part cannot be underestimated: pretty much the only real way to enjoy HyperRogue is to collect about 10 treasure per zone to get an achievement (25, if you want the second, and last, achievement) and move onto the next one. This is because there are a lot of cool, different zones, but (Palace aside), they reveal all their unique content in about a minute of exploring: there's usually a treasure type, 2/3 enemy types, 1/2 obstacle types and 1/2 magical orb types (could be active or passive). Staying in any zone for long does not unlock any new content for that zone, it simply spawns more and more enemies to eventually overwhelm you. Sadly, you cannot tame any zone to your will, no matter how much you want to kill off the Yetis in the starting Ice Land, or to cut your path through every single vine in the Jungle.

    Instead, though, you get to enjoy the quirks of those zones along with other immediately available ones: Eternal Motion, which lacks obstacles and has only one enemy type, but where floor tiles collapse after every move, Alchemist's Lab, split into red and blue tiles, which you can only cross through killing Slime Beasts and thus changing the floor colour, Desert with Spice and nigh-immortal Dune worms, and Living Cave where the biggest danger is being trapped forever as trolls' bodies create new walls if killed near one.

    Get a total of 30 across those, and you unlock the new stuff like many aquatic zones requiring boats to travel in (eventually leading up to the Cthulhu level), aforementioned Palace (has original 16-bit Prince of Persia-style guards and Vizier, you can win the whole run by finding a Princess/Prince in it), and most esoterically, a Minefield level that has no enemies in it because it's literally Minesweeper.

    In all, it's a fun game once you figure out the best way to play it, though you still wish there were other ways to do so. So much of the fun in traditional roguelikes like Nethack and A.D.O.M is about going through the insane hurdles to grow from someone barely defeating jackals and easily ended by bees' poison, to going toe-to-toe with angels and demons, after all. In HyperRogue, you do not grow at all, and that sadly prevents it from being little more than a coffee break game.    … Full Review »
  2. SpriteGuard
    Jun 9, 2017
    10
    This game is my benchmark for what I consider a 10/10. The main highlights are: an engaged developer, unique challenges that are interestingThis game is my benchmark for what I consider a 10/10. The main highlights are: an engaged developer, unique challenges that are interesting and very difficult, and a good balance between depth and clarity.

    The game has received many updates since its release, and the amount of content has increased by an order of magnitude. The developer responds very quickly to requests and bug reports, and is active in the community.

    The game has matured into a fairly rich open-world experience with a lot of options. Many of these are highlighted with some of the most interesting (and difficult) achievements I have seen. On top of that, it's the only roguelike where I've really felt like it was fun to just mess around trying stuff out. I've ridden dragons, lead armies, built structures, captured pets, hunted rare creatures, and turned into a giant plant monster. A lot of the main quests are fun too, my favorite is rescuing baby tortoises from dragons.

    All of those things required quite a bit of planning, nothing in this game is easy. It's one of the hardest games I have ever played, but it is entirely fair. There is very little randomness, and none of it will blindside you. It's all done with a system that is very transparent, with few enough moving parts that it's usually clear what all of your options are. This allows for a long planning horizon while leaving room for a lot of very hard challenges.

    The core mechanic of hyperbolic geometry has a lot of interesting implications, and the game does a lot of stuff that just wouldn't be possible without it. Many of the hardest challenges involve navigating in a world where directions don't work the way you are used to. Beyond that, the geometry informs the way the world works, so that it feels like a world that "grew up" in a hyperbolic universe, and adapted to its quirks.

    Because of this, it's also a great way to learn about hyperbolic geometry. A lot of lands show off one or more of the ways in which hyperbolic geometry differs from what we're used to, and finishing some quests requires learning how to reason about it. As counter-intuitive as it is, it is rigorous and can be reasoned about once you learn how.

    It's a game that has given me hundreds of hours of fun, taught me new things about both mathematics and game design, and connected me with a really delightful community.    … Full Review »
  3. Nudibranch
    Apr 2, 2017
    9
    HyperRogue is a turn-based game in which you explore a randomly-generated world featuring many different lands. Each land has its own set ofHyperRogue is a turn-based game in which you explore a randomly-generated world featuring many different lands. Each land has its own set of special mechanics and monsters, getting increasingly deadly as you collect its treasure. Gathering treasure and killing monsters will open up new lands and cause various magical orbs to spawn, but there is very little permanent character progression. Your character cannot survive being hit, and the same holds true for most monsters. Thankfully you are prevented from making suicidal moves, with the game only ending when you are in a "checkmate" position.

    One of the things that sets HyperRogue apart from other puzzle games and roguelikes is that it takes place on a hyperbolic plane. Without getting into the math behind this, it has many interesting effects on gameplay. It is incredibly unlikely to ever revisit a precise location without exactly retracing your movements. The most efficient way for a group of creatures to move is in single file, making it possible to deal with multiple enemies in open spaces. These and other aspects of the unusual geometry are used for many clever puzzles and mind-bending areas.

    There are around 50 different lands, with each one feeling quite distinct, from the initial land with melt-able ice walls and heat-seeking dogs, to a land where dormant monsters form the floor above a chasm, to a temple constructed from an infinite sequence of concentric "rings". The rules of each land are generally well-explained or easy to pick up from observation, so there's very little nonsense separating a new player from the fun and challenge of the game. Aside from the main game mode, there are many extra challenges and options available. So far I've gotten a solid 60 hours of entertainment from HyperRogue, which is quite a good value for the $5 it cost on PC.

    HyperRogue does have its share of minor annoyances. It's necessary to unlock the more advanced lands each game, which can get somewhat tiresome after many playthoughs. This issue is compounded by the fact that you are required to show a certain level of mastery before a land becomes available to play individually; basically you can get easy practice with advanced lands once you've proved you don't need it. The handling of "stalemate" situations where there are no legal moves, but the character isn't dead, leaves something to be desired. After a large number of turns additional monsters will begin to spawn, which means you have to click something like 100 times to wait in place if you want to continue or properly end the game.

    HyperRogue is great puzzle game and the most fun I've had with a computer game in a long time. It's very easy to get into, and there is a free version available, so anyone with an interest in puzzle games or roguelikes should check it out.    … Full Review »
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