Elsie is a roguelike game that draws inspiration from the Mega Man series and adds a healthy dose of randomness and challenge. It’s a tough game that requires patience and skill, however, for those willing to put in the effort, Elsie offers a deep, replayable experience with a wide variety of character builds and a high level of difficulty.
Graphically, it’s got a lovely, retro pixel art style which is perfect to help you identify when you are about to be overcome by an onslaught of bullets. The good news, however, is you can always activate your parry at the right time to avoid taking damage. You’ve also got a cool dash attack, your weapon to fire, and a couple of spells as well.
Elsie’s replayability and variety come from the weapons, spells, and passive upgrades you can discover throughout your runs. The meta-progression is solid, with you often being able to grab at least one new thing in between runs, and the way it handles its levels is really interesting.
Each world in Elsie features multiple bosses. Defeating them unlocks the true boss, a hacked robot. Once defeated, you bring them back to your base to learn more about the story. It’s a unique and engaging concept, although some players might find the difficulty a bit challenging but overall, I’ve been having a great time with it.
Whilst there is a small amount of bug squishing that still needs to be done – a few of which could be run-ending – I am sure the developers, Knight Shift Games, will sort them out in future patches. All-in-all, however, Elsie is a great roguelike for those looking for a unique, interesting mixture of chaotic platforming and bullet hell genres.
