Rogue-like RPGs are extremely unforgiving, because it only takes a second for your most invested character to suffer a permadeath. One wrong move, one missed attack, and you have to watch the enemy strike down your avatar, and your forced to witness their final pixelated moments all captured on screen.

If you have no clue what we are talking about when we say “roguelike,” then pull up a chair and let us fill you in.

A roguelike is an RPG like any other, but usually includes one supremely essential element that sets it apart from normal cookie-cutter titles; that feature is permadeath. In a rogue-like RPG when your character dies, they are gone for good. There are no respawns, or rejuvenation potions to bring them back from the realm of the dead. The characters simply die, and the game is over.

The lure of roguelike RPGs rely on the fact that every move and decision truly matters – even in the simplest of games. One poor decision can bring an end to hours of dungeon exploring and heavy looting sessions.

Of course, roguelikes also have other features that set them apart from standard RPGS. Those unique features often include, a classic or custom art style similar to old-school RPGs, different game modes, an in-depth character creation process, and loads of content! A lot of roguelike titles feature ASCII character graphics, which can be quite difficult to get used to if you’re new to the genre, especially in an age where graphics are a vital part of the gaming experience.

Several modern roguelike titles that are worth mentioning, include Dungeons of Dredmor, Doom the Roguelike, and the Geneforge series. Other titles worthy of at least one playthrough include Spelunky, the Binding of Isaac, and Dary’s Legend (currently unreleased).

We’re not here to talk about any of those titles though, we’re here to talk about the Indie Game of The Week: Hack, Slash, and Loot.

Indie Game of the Week: Hack, Slash, And Loot

Hack, Slash and Loot is a single-player turn based dungeon crawler with a purely classic art style and theme; even the sound effects are reminiscent of early console-era games.

“There are dark places in the world inhabited by evil denizens. Places filled with danger and foreboding where no ordinary man would dare to journey. However, there are a few who are willing to risk death in the name of good, in the name of justice, in the name of… valuable loot!”

Hack, Slash and Loot is a remarkably straightforward title. The game can be totally controlled by left-button mouse clicks, and no other keys are required. Of course, there are hotkeys, but if you feel the desire to be extremely lazy and play something with minimal controls, Hack would be your game.

Hack, Slash And Loot Gameplay Video

What Type of Indie Game is Hack, Slash And Loot

The character sprites in Hack, Slash and Loot, or at least the overall design, are nothing unique. If you have played games like Realm of the Mad God, and Legends of Yore, you might recognize the art style. That’s okay though, because Hack provides a totally different experience from the aforementioned titles.

While Hack may be incredibly effortless to play, and involves only the click of a mouse, it is not an easy game to beat. You are thrust into action, after starting the game, with no tutorial, not that one is actually needed here, and sometimes even face enemies immediately upon spawning.

When the game loads you are asked to choose a starting character, and a leading quest to follow, of which there are six to choose from. Each quest offers a different experience and every dungeon is procedurally generated, which means no dungeon is ever the same. There are 32 starting characters to unlock, and they are earned by beating an adventure or completing various objectives during play.

In Hack, you simply navigate through the dungeons and slaughter enemies on your way to complete your main quest. At times, you may encounter other NPCs who follow you after being saved from the clutches of evil, but generally they perish fairly quickly because of their laughably dimwitted intelligence.

The game itself is turn based, which means every step you take costs a turn. Enemies and NPCs also move at the same rate which usually translates to an awkward shuffle. You can move several spaces at a time by clicking elsewhere on the map, after doing so your character will automatically relocate to the selected space.

To attack an enemy you just need to click on their advancing form. Your character will hack, slash or let loose a volley of arrows depending on what class you’re playing. To slaughter your foe, you just keep clicking on them until they are reduced to a pile of gore.

There is no standard inventory, as you are only allowed to keep the items that you can equip on your character. There are eight item slots which can include equipment for your head, neck, chest, wrist, hands (x2), waist, and feet. This means you need to weigh your options carefully before throwing down your weapon or armor in order to replace them with something new.

You can also pick up consumables along your journey, but you there is no method to store potions for use later; either you use them right away or they go to waste. This can, in fact, can make for some truly harrowing experiences when your health is low. Rushing through a mob infested dungeon in search of potions and other consumables can be stressful.

Game sessions in Hack are relatively short, as with most other roguelikes, but have the potential to go on for hours provided you can survive that long. When your character does perish, you’re immediately loaded into a new game with a starting avatar of the same class. Of course, Hack randomly chooses a new quest upon game start, to keep things interesting.

Hack, Slash and Loot is beat when you complete your main quest. We have yet to make it through an entire adventure, but we still have had our share of fun with the game.

The Indie Game Hack, Slash And Loot is Available Now

Hack, Slash and Loot is available for purchase now through the official site, or via Steam. Most of our previous Indie titles have also been available through Steam, so if you don’t know what it is by now- shame on you.

What are you still doing here? Get out there so you can start hacking, slashing and looting your foes!

If you love gaming as much as we do, you can also browse our favorite titles that have been covered previously in The Tech Labs Indie Game of The Week series.

The Tech Labs Indie Game of The Week Series:

• Machinarium
• A Valley Without Wind
• Salvation Prophecy
• Holyspirit
• Wizorb
• Hoodwink
• Krater: Shadows Over Solside
• Tiny & Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers
• Hack, Slash & Loot
• Deponia
• Orcs Must Die 2
• Last Knight
• Containment: The Zombie Puzzler
• To The Moon
• Faster Than Light