Dead Cells remains one of the finest action roguelike games on Steam, so whenever a new game appears that follows in its 2D platforming and combat mold, I’m always going to give it a look. The latest such contender is Spiritfall, which comes from small indie developer Gentle Giant and draws inspiration from one place that’s particularly grabbed my attention – platform fighters (that’s the likes of Brawlhalla, Rivals of Aether, Multiversus, and of course Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros).
That’s a pairing that makes a whole lot of sense, and seeing Spiritfall in action it all clicks wonderfully into place. Each stage is an arena, and you have up to five skills at your disposal to dispose of the foes that stand in your way. Drawing from the best roguelike games around, you’ll move between areas, collecting new items and upgrades to boost your build, before tackling challenging boss fights as you make your way through its five zones.
In classic roguelike fashion, you’ll be presented with plenty of choices for different abilities. Slap a burn effect on your launcher attack, then pick up a skill causing enemies who build up five burn stacks to detonate, dealing damage in an area around them. Or snag yourself an extra jump, cascading heat around you as you spread wings of flame to lift yourself higher while in midair.
With ten weapons to choose from, each with their own upgrades and enchantments, and more than 160 blessings to collect from the Divine Spirits of the Realm Beyond, there’s countless synergies at your disposal. Add potent relics and other consumable items on top, and every run of Spiritfall is set to be its own distinct adventure.
Originally launched via Steam Early Access in April 2023 and currently holding a very positive 92% user rating, Spiritfall version 1.0 is finally here, bringing with it the final region, The Brink (along with a new cross-realm boss and, of course, the climactic final boss fight). It also introduces a new weapon and plenty of additional blessings, enchantments, relics, ordinances, challenges, and more. Plus, you can get it cheap thanks to a launch Steam sale.
“Words can’t truly explain how excited we are to bring you the 1.0 release of Spiritfall,” Gentle Giant writes. “This is our first game as a new studio and the support and love we’ve received from the community throughout early access has been incredible.” It shares a look at the future roadmap, too, which includes a lifetime stats screen and boss rush mode coming in the second quarter of 2024, and the ability to set up custom runs later in the year.
Spiritfall is out now on Steam. To celebrate the launch, it’s also on sale at a 25% discount until Wednesday March 6. That means you can expect to pay just $14.99/£12.56 if you buy it now, down from its usual price of $19.99/£16.75.
Alternatively, if you can’t get enough of hopping about then there’s plenty of the best platform games you need to be playing in 2024. Or you can check out must-play masterpieces you might have missed among the best indie games on PC.
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