The endless cycle of despair within Loop Hero holds many twists, and the path is rife with varying perils that seemingly change with every departure from the camp. There is one universal truth for the new rogue-lite from Four Quarters and publisher Devolver Digital, however: it's extremely popular.
The title released just yesterday, and Loop Hero was a top-selling title on Steam within a few hours, falling only behind Valheim's popularity. Players receive a deck of cards to place on the land, causing the hero to "remember" the environment and the perils that come with it. While the player frantically manages the world, the hero automatically runs the loop and engages enemies using whatever equipment the player has equipped him with.
Four Quarters' gambit with a unique playstyle has paid off in dividends: Loop Hero holds over 150,000 purchases within 24 hours on the Steam platform and appears poised to continue to climb in popularity relatively unfettered as word continues to spread of the title. Players are continuing to struggle to pass just the first chapter of the brutal rogue-lite, investing in the camp's economy while aiming to take out the most monstrous creatures possible for the next echelon of loot. The mystique of Loop Hero, granted by its distinctive mechanics, is a grand part of its allure.
When a gamer loads into a first-person shooter, the objective and strategy to win are straightforward: shoot enemies in the face while not taking a bullet. With the general laissez-faire mechanics of open-world RPGs, the goal is similarly understood: level up and kill enemies while finding treasure. Regardless of the environments and AI, ground-breaking atmospheric effects and the overall feel of combat, the goal remains the same.
Loop Hero isn't as readily comprehended, however, and this brings an enticing feeling of discovery and experimentation. Should players litter the paths with as many low-level foes as possible to level the auto-battling hero, or focus on singular points within the path to upgrade a few monsters into behemoths for gear? Landmark cards can be placed into various configurations and turn those cards into something else entirely, escalating the power of the hero (or foes) exponentially, but many such Loop Hero combos are currently unknown. Unique identifiers on equipment (that come in at a startling rate) allow players to change the specifics of a hero's class on the fly, shifting from a vampirism and attack speed combination to passive health regeneration with high defense in a few clicks.
Much like how Slay the Spire managed to popularize (or at least revitalize) the rogue-lite card-combat genre by inspiring developers with possibilities, Loop Hero seems ready to bring the classic "auto-battling" genre back to prominence. This time, however, it appears that the "auto-battler" nomenclature will be married to frantic management and a bevy of intrigue, rather than idling.
Loop Hero is available now on PC.
Source: VG24/7