RING OF PAIN
Strategic, card-based combat often requires guesswork. Until you learn the finer details of a game’s rules it can be, “What happens if I do this? Oh, I’m dead.” In a similar way to Into The Breach, Ring of Pain shows you what will happen, as you hover over potential next moves. If you’re considering attacking a monster, you’ll see who hits first, how much damage you’ll cause and how many hit points you’ll lose. If there’s a dice roll involved, like with a potentially cursed potion, you’ll see the spectrum of possibility, depicted in a range of colours.
It’s nice to be able to focus on decision-making in a challenging roguelike. You’re navigating a dungeon by sneaking, fighting, finding treasure and buffing your stats. Structured as a circle, you have to interact with a card on the left or right, or turn the circle (which may have consequences). You don’t have to directly engage every monster on the way to an exit, but you’ll have less souls to buy powerful gear, if you don’t. Bombs and ranged creatures complicate matters and some adjacent cards can even interact with each other.
Much to my frustration (in a motivating kind of way), I haven’t managed to complete the PAX demo, as yet. But, I want to know more. There’s an owl-like creature who sometimes appears on a card. You can talk to them, they seem to be quite helpful. You can attack them, but their hit points are terribly high. There’s a formless creature, too, in a black void, who has a second perspective on why you’re here and what you’re doing. The formula is compelling. I wish I could show you how much you’d love it. Picture a ‘love bar’ flashing pink +10.