Finally played Sol Cesto
Sol Cesto, a roguelike about the management of randomization odds (I guess?? Hard to describe it, really) came out this spring. A lot of my friends recommended it to me, but I simply didn't pick it up until recently.
Everyone who told me it was gorgeous is right! It's visually bizarre, full of strange UI, unusual and grotesque character designs, and a kind of stippled, boldly-lined artstyle that I really, really like. The trailer is a good demonstration of how strange [laudatory] it looks, but there's something special about seeing it in motion as you play, watching it react to your input. It really does have insanely good vibes:
If you want to see more good, deranged vibes, the artist's Instagram is here. They go by chariospirale and their stuff is great.
The actual moment to moment gameplay is good. It's definitely a bit of a grindy game - you're meant to play it many, many times before unlocking most of the characters - but I have been picking away at it for the last two weeks or so, and keeping play sessions short is keeping me from getting tired of it. I have unlocked two additional Guys so far beyond the first, grotesque Guy. Mostly, however, I'm only playing the most versatile, strong one of the bunch.
The funny thing is that it manages to feel a lot like a deckbuilder without, actually, being a deckbuilder at all - more of a build-builder?? There aren't any pick three mechanics. It is different enough from other popular roguelikes that it doesn't even really have its own roguelike subgenre name. It's a about doing percentage chance calculation in your head, basically. It's also full of bizarre little secrets. There are secret mechanics hidden in plain sight, and stuff like that. I'm enjoying it!
I think the game is carried very very heavily by its style - not to the point where style is covering for any design flaws, but to the point where the art is the main thing making this game more worth playing, I think, than other roguelikes with similar patterns of time investment.
Anyway... glad I finally picked it up! It's good shit. A complete breath of fresh air, visually!