Roundguard isn’t shy about its Peggle influences. And why ought to it? With no signal of one other PopCap Games peg-pusher anytime quickly, there’s a pachinko-shaped gap ready to be stuffed. For Roundguard builders Wonderbelly Games, which means reimagining Peggle’s laser-focused arcade high-score chase as a roguelite dungeon-crawler.
All that’s lacking is just a little Ode To Joy.
Pegs are actually potions, treasure, hazards and – worst of all – monsters to slam into along with your large spheroid bod. Hitting completely different pegs could bestow you with cash, a game-changing standing impact or sheer uncooked harm. You’ll must smash and seize as many as you possibly can earlier than hitting a pit of spikes lining the underside, chopping into your HP.
Once you beef it, it’s again to the start you go – bringing a trinket or two again from the grave for the following run. Standard roguelite affair, innit?
Three character courses combine up the purpose ‘n’ shoot pinball – together with a warrior that may cost by means of foes and pegs with a strong whirlwind, and a rogue can maintain in mid-air to fireplace off smoke bombs or make a pointy change in trajectory. These spherical buddies could be upgraded with objects of varied kinds to open up the toolbox. Tumbling by means of the fortress will slowly ship extra quests to finish and oddballs to speak with between fantasy zorbing classes.
It’s a little bit of an acquired art-style, thoughts. One of my common podcast listens known as it “chibi bitmoji”, an outline as apt as it’s horrible. Still, it’s about time somebody shook up Peggle’s digital pachinko – particularly as EA appears to have slept on that collection for the final seven years.
Roundguard is out now on Steam for £15.49/€16.99/$19.99.
