These days, you instantly think a game that has the term “Survivors” in it is a Vampire Survivors knockoff. Although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, each version ought to provide something fresh. Pathfinder: Gallowspire Survivors, the most recent project from BKOM Studios, takes place in a spin-off area of the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
We had a chance to test out this game before it was made available on Steam in Early Access, and although it looks like fun, it doesn’t really stand out. You’ll be at ease here if you’ve played any Vampire Survivors-related games in the past. Leading an auto-attacking character through unending waves of terrifying monsters is the main task assigned to you.
There are three character classes available to you right away: Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard. Every class has a unique ultimate ability that can be anything from manipulating time to summoning barriers to protect itself. You may also choose between a male and female version of each character, which is a little but useful addition.
It was difficult for me to get emotionally involved in the story, or lack thereof, even though it was set in the vast Pathfinder universe. Though it doesn’t really hold your attention, the plot appears to centre on stopping Tar-Baphon, the evil creature, from escaping. Additionally, the game’s graphics presentation is passable and lacks any noteworthy features.
It accomplishes its goal well, yet it doesn’t make a visually striking statement. But it does a good job of capturing the gloomy atmosphere typical of tabletop role-playing games, using a suitable colour scheme of deep purples and reds. In light of its genre and simple polygonal graphics, Pathfinder: Gallowspire Survivors doesn’t place a lot of demands on the hardware. On my 3080 PC, it runs smoothly with fast loading times and fluid frame rates.
An devoted AI partner that battles by you on the battlefield is one of Gallowspire Survivors’ most notable characteristics. It’s interesting to note that this companion is not from the same class as your main character. Your main goal is simple: go through waves of unrelenting monsters while exploring the map, occasionally coordinating attacks with your character’s sidekick.
As you advance, you’ll find treasure chests holding improved active and passive skills to increase your power and get experience points to level up. Your chances of winning prizes are determined by rolling a 20-sided die when you open these chests. The typical tier system is followed for coding loot items: orange indicates ultimate, blue indicates rare, purple indicates ultra-rare, and so on.
“Roguelike is the best way to describe Gallowspire Survivors.”
Three randomly generated missions or quests are included in the game for every playthrough to add even more unpredictable gameplay elements. Claiming a given amount of floors or eliminating a particular number of elite foes are examples of these goals. You advance to the next round when you reach a certain amount of kills, which is displayed in the top left corner of the screen as your floor’s victory.
Difficult bosses will spawn throughout the game, especially the first few times you run into them. The player is compelled to either use damage-absorbing abilities or avoid assaults from a distance as a result of the game’s intrinsic architecture, which forbids avoiding or blocking the boss’s blows.
You always start from the first floor of Gallowspire Survivors because it is a roguelike game, meaning that you lose very little of your progress when you die. You do, however, keep your accrued experience points, which you can use to level up your characters, along with gold that you can use to reroll challenging tasks.
One of the following six attributes can be enhanced with skill points: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. You can also grow and progress with your partner, highlighting the importance of investing in something bigger than yourself. At the moment, the game has sixteen floors, three biomes, four bosses, five difficulty settings, and three biomes.
We may anticipate regular development updates to bring new material to the game before to its complete release because it is scheduled for Early Access. Thankfully, there is still a respectable quantity of stuff that is already accessible.
Gallowspire Survivors in Pathfinder is comparable to Vampire Survivors.
In the end, Pathfinder: Gallowspire Survivors stays quite close to the formula that Vampire Survivors invented, following a well-known pattern. Still, its captivating gameplay does a lot to draw in players, especially those who enjoy tabletop role-playing games.
It’s a promising addition to the Steam Deck, something the developers want to achieve with the complete release. It’s the perfect game for a few quick plays before you move on to something else. Pathfinder: Gallowspire Survivors is undoubtedly worth the modest $6.99 launch price.
On September 14, 2023, Pathfinder: Gallowspire Survivors will launch on PC through Steam Early Access. Here’s where you can play the game. Game Crater waits to award a review score until the game is officially published because it is still in Early Access.
