Polygod

 Xbox One
Metascore
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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Xbox Tavern
    Aug 17, 2018
    75
    Polygod offers a challenging, randomly generated experience that’s constantly engaging and fun. There’s a lot of variation here across the game’s levels, its enemies and its pacing, which collectively ensures that repetition almost remains completely holstered throughout. There’s certainly a steep difficulty curve to begin with, but its greatly addictive core gameplay loop will keep you coming back for more.
  2. TheXboxHub
    Oct 9, 2018
    60
    The art style is simplistic and the game is brutal to the point of almost being impossible. I’m sure some out there will enjoy the visuals and others may find the punishing difficulty a breath of fresh air, but I doubt the two will go hand in hand too often.
  3. XBLA Fans
    Sep 26, 2018
    60
    With Polygod, the consistency of having to repeat the first two-three levels over and over, never really making any further progress, easily becomes exhausting. The player really needs to ask themselves if they’re ready for that type of commitment before investing.

User Reviews

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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Aug 19, 2018
    7
    In terms of enemies there isn’t a great deal of variety present and fighting the same enemies time and time again can make things become aIn terms of enemies there isn’t a great deal of variety present and fighting the same enemies time and time again can make things become a little tedious. The difficulty curve is absolutely brutal and if you’re a person who gets easily annoyed or frustrated then this game probably won’t be for you.
    Technically the game suffers with a few issues every now and then and whilst they aren’t game-breaking they can still be annoying. Does Polygod do enough to get a recommendation from me?
    All in all as soon as I saw Quake-esque in the description of Polygod I knew I had to try this game out. Quake is a series that I absolutely adore so I was really looking forward to trying out Polygod, and thankfully after playing it for a while the game isn’t bad at all. Don’t get me wrong it’s far from perfect and it does have a few shortcomings but in the end even though it does have these shortcomings it still gets the most important aspects spot on. The most important aspect in a game of this ilk is its gunplay and I’m pleased to say that they’ve done justice here because everything feels satisfying and most important of all everything feels fun. This reason alone then means Polygod does enough to get a recommendation from me and if you’re a fan of the Quake style then you’ll definitely find something in this game that will tickle your fancy, but be warned prepare yourself for a brutal challenge    … Full Review »
  2. davidaone
    Sep 3, 2018
    10
    Incredibly unique, fast paced, difficult FPS with MP, COOP and split screen. The game play is reminiscent of old classics such as Binding ofIncredibly unique, fast paced, difficult FPS with MP, COOP and split screen. The game play is reminiscent of old classics such as Binding of Isaac, Quake and Doom, and yet it's a completely new experience. Crazy combo power-ups, wicked audio and brilliant graphic design make this new rogue like completely compelling!… Full Review »
  3. GBG_Jason
    Aug 25, 2018
    6
    Polygod allows you to select from a number of gods (with only one available out of the gate), which will then be transported to a basic hubPolygod allows you to select from a number of gods (with only one available out of the gate), which will then be transported to a basic hub world filled with other gods or beings. These entities will offer some vague, often insane sounding banter in the form of word bubbles, with the only obvious direction of stepping forward into the portal at the top of a large staircase. Once you walk through the gate, you'll instantly find yourself fighting against gravity and land on a randomized island. The game wastes no time putting you into the thick of it, with enemies often attacking you before you are able to orient yourself within the game world. Your goal is simply to collect as many souls as possible, which if you ask me, the jerk robots that make up the enemies in the levels are asking for it. I mean, I was just trying to see what was going on and all of a sudden they just start shooting.

    Each god is equipped with a basic killing tool o' death, which can be upgraded by exchanging souls for random perks that will appear above chests regularly throughout the levels. The offered perks are not limited to the weapon upgrades, as others are present and allow you to upgrade your health or modify the character’s movement. In addition to these, some will offer a trade-off, such as providing a sizable damage buff at the expense of a large chunk of your health. Much like everything else in the game, these are randomly offered but seem to be overly pricey in early stages, often requiring you to seek out additional enemies prior to moving forward to acquire the right upgrade. Much like a game of chess, you will have to select your upgrades wisely: do you throw all of your souls in for just an alright upgrade, or do you wait for a meatier perk later on? The choice is yours, but more often than not, either decision will still result in an untimely death.

    Polygod is absurdly difficult. I won't bother comparing this to Dark Souls, because that is getting kind of old and in all honesty, this game is light years ahead in terms of difficulty - I could at least beat the first few areas in each of the Souls games. The enemies you'll face in this are relentless and as I mentioned previously, have no issue taking pot shots at you long before they rightfully should be able to. Much like a glass figurine of your chosen real world idol, the in game god is fragile, only being able to take a number of well-placed shots and even fewer attacks at close range. To evade the enemies, you'll need to move constantly or use the environment to your advantage, as the malicious R2-D2 wannabes will pursue you relentlessly. The only thing that will stop them is death or using the high ground, which can be attained by jumping or using one of the large red bumper pedestals for additional height.

    The visuals are very low poly, with most of the assets appearing as if they were on the higher end of the user created content from Roblox. The trees really stood out in this regard, looking as if they were cut and pasted from Super Mario 64. The enemies are presented in a slightly better light, but lack variety, as all of the ones I encountered had robotic features and the same attack patterns, which amounted to shooting at you until you die or running into you head first while shooting. Coupled with the fact that all of the enemies are very bullet spongey, combat is difficult, yet a worthy challenge if this is your type of game.

    As I mentioned before, the game runs at breakneck speed and feels very much like a Doom clone, with the addition of a jump button. Gunplay functions as expected; however, aiming is not nearly as smooth as it should be. The game is well suited for those who like to bunny hop (jumping repeatedly to make for a harder target) which proved to be a bit more successful in terms of survival. This is due to the addition of the jump button being assigned to the left trigger, which took me a bit to get used to, but felt like second nature around my third run.

    While the overall layouts of the levels are varied, the small areas that comprise the dungeons are not. Having tried unsuccessfully to complete over twenty runs, I've seen the same turrets or enemies sitting on the same pedestals or ledges enough to almost memorize entire sections. While I felt that I was doing better the more I played, the frustration vs. fun factor was not leaning in a positive direction.

    Seeds are the one thing the game does well, and hopefully future games in the genre take note of, much like the recently released Chasm. You can save your seed or even replay the same one if you fail. I can't tell you how many times I've played The Binding of Isaac wishing I didn't have to write down the code to replay the same run.

    Polygod is a game that will likely be a hit with its target audience, which is clearly those that think Dark Souls or Doom on the most brutal difficulty is the equivalent of Sesame Street.    … Full Review »