It seems that roguelikes have become very popular these days. This came as a result of the popularity of retro-style games that I think younger generations love because they haven’t played classics on older consoles. On the other hand, those of us who grew up playing SNES and Sega are looking fondly towards this trend since it takes us back to the old days.
We recently wrote about Crashlands, which I still like to play when I find some free time, but in this article, we will be looking at another roguelike. Even though these two games have a lot in common, I think Space Grunts will be more liked by those who really fond of the older classics.
Space Grunts
Space Grunts, priced at $1.99, is a fast-paced roguelike that mixes both arcade action and turn-based strategy. It is created by Pascal Bestebroer (of Orangepixel) and is available on the iOS App Store as a universal download.
This solo developer is actually quite known in the community by being a standout artist which brought a series of unique games. Even though these were not the most polished or the best-looking games out there, they all came with a consistent vision. On the other hand, it was incredibly interesting to play Orangepixel’s game and to see how they evolved over time.
Visuals & Performance
Space Grunts features a retro 16-bit graphical style that looks pixelated but also supports a high level of detail. If you grew up with the classic game systems, I think you are going to love this game’s art style. The character sprites are nicely done, and the animations are very fluid and smooth. For example, watching a fire spread out to set off a chain of exploding barrels, or destroying a part of a room’s wall add to the overall intensity. Even though these are fairly quick animations that usually take a second or so, this tells us that the developer took his time to polish this game.
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I tested the game on my iPhone 6, where I haven’t experienced a single issue. It surely seems like this game is well-optimized. I also tested the game (not as extensively as on my iPhone) on some older devices, where the performance was equally smooth and fluid.
Storyline
The story behind Space Grunts happens in 2476, where Earth’s space-federation has been building moon bases. However, a distress signal has been coming from one of those bases, and it’s up to you to see what is happening.
You can choose one out of three Space Grunts (Captain, Strongarm, and TechJunky). Each of these characters come with their own abilities and weaknesses. There are three stats for each character: strength (weapon power), tech (item usage), and luck (item finding). As you progress through the game, you will be able to upgrade your character and unlock alternative versions of each of them.
Gameplay
The goal of every procedurally generated level is the same, where you have to guide your character towards the end point of each base. However, you will have to fight against robots, aliens, and security drones.
Each level has a series of interconnected rooms for you to explore. The character can be moved by using a virtual D-pad, while the right side of the screen brings a button for attacking with the currently selected weapon. There are three weapons: handgun, grenades, and plasma.
I wanted to take a few sentences to explain the available weapons since I think they show how intriguing this game is. For example, there’s the handgun which only hits a single target at a limited range but comes with the most plentiful ammo. There is also the plasma which blows out enemies in a straight line, and grenades can kill several differently positioned enemies in a specific range. However, there are also numerous weapon upgrades that you can pick up. You should know that this is connected to the character you choose. If you really care about the weapons, my suggestion is to pick the Captain, which definitely seems underpowered at first but comes with the highest item drop rate. This is a quick way to get the most powerful guns.
I believe that Space Grunts is primarily a tactical game. Even though you can progress by clearing out each room you find, you will soon realize that this strategy doesn’t work. In other words, you can’t get pretty far by only killing your enemies and destroying everything you see. Knowing when to run and how to avoid enemies and traps is essential. Playing this game sometimes resembles playing a challenging puzzle, where you need to take a few breaths and plan your next move.
Controls
The controls are actually very simple and nicely designed, just like in older roguelike games. You can also visit the game’s settings menu, where you can reposition each control button, or reset the controls to their default values.
However, while I was testing this game on my iPad, I wished to see a resizable directional pad, which seemed somewhat undersized. It also seems like the controls weren’t as responsive on the iPad as there were on my iPhone. Maybe this was also due to the size of the controls, or maybe the game’s code needs to be tweaked.
In addition, Space Grunts seems like a perfect game to be played using a controller. However, the game currently comes without MFi support because of some backend issues. I really wish to see this fixed in the future, and I hope we’ll see that update.
Conclusion
I highly recommend downloading Space Grunts if you’re a fan of retro-style roguelikes. There’s no way to regret this purchase. It brings nicely designed visuals and action-packed levels that will keep you occupied for hours to come.
What I can also say is that Space Grunts will be a permanent fixture on my iPhone and I’ll gladly return to it.
Space Grunts can be downloaded from the iOS App Store, and you can play it on your iPhone or iPad (in addition to Android devices, PCs, and Macs). There are no in-app purchases.