Blackfaun PC (P)Review by K3W3L
Genre: Action, Indie, RPG, Early Access
Developer: Wild Guess Software Publisher: Wild Guess Software
Release Date: Dec 3, 2015
NOTE: This review was done using build 0.8.4 of the game, and thus is a reflection of the game’s state at that particular time.
Steam has come a long way since its inception, from stocking only games from Valve to now being THE proprietary digital marketplace for almost every game released today. Part of the problem this causes, however, is that it is VERY hard for deserving games to gain exposure and traction.
It is therefore with great surprise that I review Blackfaun, which is a top-down dungeon crawler with roguelike and RPG elements. Fauns are half human-half goat creatures, and in this game you play as one, Eri (you presumably get the option to switch to her brother, Pan, much later on). Eri has (judging from the dialogue) been sent by her parents on a quest to prove her worth as “heiress to the crown”, i.e. show her strength and survivability skills by killing a bunch of enemies. Oh, why the surprise you ask? Because this was literally the first I had heard of the game…
Like all the most recent popular roguelikes that have come before (Binding of Isaac, Nuclear Throne) and after (Enter the Gungeon), this game features a top-down perspective. Controls are exclusively mouse and keyboard – mouse to shoot and use actions as well as click on some elements in the HUD, and keyboard for movement and the bulk of the controls. The closest comparison I can make is that it plays rather similarly to games like Nuclear Throne and Enter the Gungeon, and like those games, worlds are procedurally generated.
Blackfaun differs from the other games, though, in that it incorporates RPG elements – you gain experience to level up your character. Every time you level up, you gain a small amount of skill points, which you can spend to level up one of 3 attributes – health, damage, or ‘luck’. While exploring, you will come across equippable items that can change your attributes – it is up to you to pick which ones you want though as (to the best of my recollection) you cannot store items to switch between later on.
Unlike the other roguelike titles mentioned thus far which utilize retro-style graphics, this one has fully realized characters, enemies, and scenery. It plays as well as it looks, too – killing and dodging enemies feels really satisfying. The soundtrack is fitting and matches the ambiance of the game with its somewhat ethereal nature. The devs have also implemented achievements to enhance replayability, as well as trading cards – more appreciated pluses.
What isn’t implemented (yet?), however, are a few features that are usually imperative in games nowadays. There’s firstly no controller support – with gamers nowadays moving beyond mouse and keyboard for PC gaming, the ability to play with controllers should be a viable option in most games. With that being said, however, I feel more comfortable with these kind of games using the mouse to aim, though I can see how people would appreciate the controller option (and probably be better at it as well).
Call me spoilt by Binding of Isaac: Rebirth if you like, but this game also does not feature an option to save your run mid-game. Like similar roguelikes of the genre, a single run can potentially last for quite a period of time if you are skilled, and it would be nice to have an option to quit the game in the middle of a run should real-life commitments take precedence.
Lastly, and here’s what I feel is the largest flaw of the game by far, the only kind of tutorial you are given is a set of graphics at the very start of a run that show you which keys do what, and what each element on the HUD is supposed to represent. That is…honestly, not enough. It fades out after the initial dialogue ends, and I don’t think that’s enough time to remember everything – you would definitely need a few playthroughs to properly familiarize. I would prefer a full-fledged tutorial that also lets you experience first hand what the controls do, but if the devs wish to keep it this way, I would suggest a button that, when held down, temporarily shows the control scheme again.
In addition to the lack of a proper tutorial, I also feel that some of the game’s elements aren’t explained well, if at all. As mentioned earlier, I am given the option to put some stat points into ‘luck’ when I level up. What is luck supposed to do? Why should I put points into increasing that stat? The game does not explain what this does, which gives me no incentive to put any points into it, instead making me focus more on the much more intuitive Damage and HP instead.
Pros:
Amazing graphics
Fitting ambient soundtrack
Satisfying gameplay
Achievements and Trading Cards
Cons:
Still in Early Access
Utter lack of a proper tutorial
No mid-game saving
No gamepad support
K3W3L gives Blackfaun a Drastik Measure 8.3 out of 10 (83).
In conclusion, there is still a fair amount of room for improvement; but it’s in Early Access and is very playable and fun already. I can’t help but feel occasionally that it needs a few more standout things, though, as I do find myself playing other games of the same genre more often. But I’ll keep following it through Early Access – it’s a strong foundation, and could well be a future Gungeon and Isaac replacement for me – when they iron out the kinks!
http://store.steampowered.com/app/409460/
