Helvetii

Indie 2D roguelite action experience on PS4

Helvetii is an action roguelike that does not present any vaguely original ideas. Characterized by a below-average longevity, it must however be recognized that the product partly compensates for its shortcomings with a high challenge rate and an artistic system that winks at the sensational Vanillaware productions, without fully equaling the visual rendering.

Helvetti has buckets of charm, offering delightful 2D visuals that will impress any player with ease. Unfortunately, the feathery, button-mashing combat is less appealing, whilst the uninspired rogue-like mechanics never really click.

Helvetii is a hack ‘n slash game set around Celtic and Gaelic mythology. The hack ‘n slash genre is an acquired taste, or so I feel. I’m no expert in the genre, but the gameplay often feels frantic but directionless. However, I am a big fan of any and all mythologies, and games that explore cultural folklore always grab my interest. So I loaded up Helvetii with high anticipation.

As an action/adventure game, Helvetii falls just a bit short on some elements of gameplay and storytelling. However, it's still a solid entry with very appealing looks, sounds, and mechanics.

Despite gorgeous visuals, a strong soundtrack, and solid combat, Helvetii stumbles on basic game design. With this little variety within each area, the choice to make it a roguelite was a mistake and quickly left me wanting to move on to a different title. There’s certainly fun to be had here, but whether you’re looking for a great roguelite or action game, better options exist to meet your needs.

Helvetii's roguelite action approach, its trio of well crafted characters, plenty of frantic moments, a stunning looking visual environment, as well as an exquisite soundtrack make this a game that's more than worthy to be on the Nintendo Switch of every player who enjoys like-minded games. The experience will keep players around the game for a long time and have them come back for more.

An original setting and fun, albeit hectic fights make a very good first impression. Unfortunately, "Helvetii" does not manage to maintain this freshness for a long time. The 2D brawler is by no means bad, but the roguelike genre harms the fun because the different passes lack variation. "Helvetii" can be fun for quite a while, and especially the very different playable characters help. Sooner or later, however, this rustic Swiss fairy tale runs out of steam.

Helvetii has arcade-style gameplay that makes it enjoyable. It is fun in short bursts but is unbelievably aggravating in long sessions and a lot of that has to do with the rogue-like foundation. Rogue gameplay can be enjoyable and has its place. When it is used to artificially lengthen a game, it becomes too obvious and the strings that support the illusion become all too distracting, making the game unengaging.

Helvetii is beautifully crafted, blending handcrafted art and solid movement and combat mechanics into a challenging roguelike structure that is sure to please any fan of the genre. However, the exploration of the environments and the relatively slow progression are not the best of its qualities.