The endless cycle of despair withinLoop Heroholds 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 publisherDevolver Digital, however: it’s extremely popular.
The title released just yesterday, andLoop Herowas a top-selling title on Steam within a few hours, falling only behindValheim’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.
RELATED:Loop Hero: How To Beat Lich
Four Quarters' gambit with a unique playstyle has paid off in dividends:Loop Heroholds 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 ofLoop 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 ofopen-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 Heroisn’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 suchLoop Herocombosare 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 howSlay the Spiremanaged to popularize (or at least revitalize) therogue-litecard-combat genre by inspiring developers with possibilities,Loop Heroseems 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 Herois available now on PC.
MORE:Loop Hero: How To Make Mountain Peak, And What It Does
