Rate top gamesTranslated by
Microsoft from French
Microsoft from French
What is malevolence?
A Dungeon-crawler game case by case in first person view, but with an old-school RPG side. Said like that, it's boat. But malevolence is really not commonplace.
First the graphic side, because it is the first impression of the game: it is... old-school. Graphics from 20 years ago, if not more. The game being presented as old-school, it's not embarrassing.
The game will loose you in a totally open world (this is definitely not outward and its pseudo-open world). You initially choose between a guided direction, to make your first levels quietly in the first and immense Dungeon (Shoba Nhor) or be let loose in the world to make your own way yourself.
Do not try to take your hand, apart from the direction of the first village the game tells you nothing. This is not disturbing because, at the moment, the game has no development of history or scenario. It is you who travel, explore, discover, descend into dungeons, lootez. You decide the direction to take and you try your luck.
The game offers a permadeath mode and it is this mode that justifies the game itself. Yes it is frustrating to die and to lose several hours of a run, but to you to go somewhere else, in another direction, find other cities, other dungeons, try a less easy start and see how far you can go. And in the end, see what score you make. Because there is no other purpose than the score and steam achievements.
And this game conveys the same emotions, the same feelings as a game released from the years 80. It's simple, the mechanisms are basic, but rich enough so that after 15h of game you have not discovered everything and you do not get tired of the app. Because weariness is the worst enemy on this game: only 7 types of enemies in a world that declares itself infinite, with infinite dungeons, every Dungeon taking hours, inevitably it is seen and reviewed.
Yet this game knows how to be addictive, just because every step can be the last. Then you pay attention. You search, you search, you raise danger and risk. You're afraid for your hero. And it's a powerful engine of fun.
On the other hand, even in permadeath, save often! The game is not stable, I have noticeably a CTD every 45 minutes, and when it closes (or when you leave the game) the play does not record and you will have to resume to the last place where you made a backup. It's weird the first time you play, you think it's Ironman, you leave the game, and when you raise there is nothing. because you did not manually make a backup before leaving.
For the rest, nothing to complain about. true old-school game feeling, well realized and addictive, there are quality of life options (teleporters, recall crystals, ground ankhs etc.) but not too much, which makes the game severe but just.