Doinksoftâs new game is the thoroughly punny Dark Scrolls, a âdungeon scrollerâ that blends in a bunch of shmup-like action and a roguelike progression system â more on that in a moment.
Coming from the creators of Gato Roboto, Gunbrella, and Demon Throttle, and publisher Devolver Digital, this game takes a little inspiration from the NES era of gaming, with an always-scrolling screen â hence the title â to go alongside the platforming and action.
Playable solo or in co-op, thereâs a cast of nine playable characters, each with a signature weapon and ability, whether itâs hurling axes and ground-pounding, throwing knives and downward knife throws, casting magic balls and turning into a damaging spike for a moment. Each also has side objectives to try and complete on a run, so it might be ground-pounding enemies 100 times.
Speaking of runs, this is part of that nebulous roguelite genre, but instead of having fully randomised levels, thereâs a more curated approach, with hand-crafted rooms being stitched together, so that they feel distinct and recognisable⌠with a few twists. Completing stages, will let you visit Bruce & Gooseâs Shoppe â Goose is literally three geese in trench coat â to buy new perks for that run, and between runs to unlock new abilities. After a couple levels, things can get pretty manic, as you can see in the trailer!
Doinksoftâs Cullen Dwyer comes out swinging when talking about the inspirations for this game, or rather, things he hates that about what feels like 80% of indie games. âWhenever I search for âroguelikeâ I donât find what Iâm looking for,â he said. âI get a poker game or a pachinko game or a heartfelt narrative about a Greek god or a Yu-Gi-Oh! card game. How are those at all like a 1980s turn-based, grid-locked dungeon crawler that you can play in the command line with vim control bindings? They have ârandomnessâ? Pathetic. And here I am, part of the problem. Might as well call it a Metroidvania too.â
Source: press release
