RING OF PAIN is one game that delivers exactly what's written on the tin. You will enter a ring of cards. Many of them, as it goes. And they will do their very best to deliver the pain you were looking for. It is a card-driven roguelike at its core, but a very unique one, with an entire set of features that set it apart from contemporaries. There is a strong dedication to the premise here. Even the customary branching map that so many rogues love is, yes, a ring. The main gist of the game lies in its risk versus reward drive, as every decision you make is balanced on a tightrope to find some advantage against the odds.
But I am getting ahead of myself. First, the world itself is grim and oppressive. You wake up in darkness with a humble candle offering much-needed light to traverse. A gift from a helpful Owl creature, which seems quite adamant about helping us on our way through the various rings of dread. He will offer occasional reprieve, finding us healing potions or helpful items. What a chap. Well... Nothing is as it seems here in the darkness. Each stage is populated by a circle of cards, mostly representing a variety of monsters. Creatures of the dark grow more and more inventive in the ways they can harm you. Some chase you to explode in your face. Others will grow spikes to reflect your attacks. They will poison you, shoot bile at you from afar, and stop you from attacking or even moving. The variety is there and the deeper you delve, the scarier it becomes.
To deal with them you'll need to grow in power yourself. And as a good roguelike must have, there are many ways to achieve that. Your avatar is governed by a set of simple stats. Attack, defense, speed, health, and clarity. Items you find, from humble helmets to more esoteric spellbooks and wands, each offer a unique ability to twist the game mechanic a bit and boost in stats. Your goal is to assemble a sensible build that can withstand the terrors of the gloom and deal with them in some way. The beauty of the system is that you can become one of many things. You can be a supremely tough nut to crack with defense out of this world, brushing off all but the most devious attacks. You can gain speed and power enough to always strike first and strike hard. You can utilize poison, petrification, cold, and other soul-driven abilities to strike enemies from afar and clean rooms in an explosive fashion.
Even if combat isn't exactly your cup of tea, the game has you covered, as building up for a stealthy approach is possible too. You can ramp up your stealth and dodge stats to become a ghost, floating through enemies to the next door that will lead you deeper into this eerie dungeon. All that is paired with a very clever and simple movement mechanic, where you face two cards in the circle and move left or right to avoid danger and gather new items, potions, and stat upgrades.
The runs can get similar. Not so, as the variety of items and different chambers you can encounter is rich. Nonetheless, there are some solid strategies you might find early on that let you push harder and deeper. And once you figure those out it is easy to fall for a simple trap of going for something you know will work. Experimentation is rewarded by possible unlocks of new items, but it is not well supported. You never know how many items will gel well with what you have in mind, and if your build is wonky halfway through the run your chances to win are rather meager.
That might put some players off, but despite this nitpick, I still believe that RING OF PAIN handles that aspect of its roguelike DNA very well. For a couple of reasons. First, the runs are short. Or rather, can be, if you know what you're doing and what you aim for. You can fly through the rings quickly and with focus, reaching a halfway point within fifteen minutes. This makes losing a run never a big deal, especially if you manage to unlock something new by picking up some new items or finding some new chambers to explore. This progression fuels your new runs, of course, giving you a wider library of spells and items to play with, expanding your ability to plan sensible builds.
The most important part is there, a part in which the roguelikes live or die. The itch. The desire to start a new run the very second previous one failed. It's an addictive game, easy to roll, and easy to restart if things do not seem to go the way you wish. And so, once it sinks its hooks into you, it is easy enough to let the hours burn away as you frolic through the rings of gloom. And with its eerie aesthetics, great music and fun approach to combat it is a pleasure to play. Even if sometimes it feels like the game can sniff your trepidation and land a combo of enemies custom-crafted to counter your blossoming build. The bastard.
It's hard not to recommend RING OF PAIN. It's a well-crafted game with nouvelle approach to combat, great adherence to its premise, and great design all around. Of course, it still has the key trapping of its genre, so if you're not a fan of retrying run after run, this will not convince you otherwise. But if you're a roguelike enjoyed, I assure you - you're doing yourself a great disservice not checking this gem out.
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