Empyreal

Empyreal is a richly detailed, loot-based action RPG with a real 'one more go' quality that focuses on a loop involving selectable level cards. The difficulty can be incredibly punishing and it's rather drab-feeling at times, but there's rewarding depth and challenge if you take the plunge.

A complex interconnection of influences results in a game that’s both familiar and interestingly unique, with a few rough edges compensated for by excellent combat and role-playing systems.

Empyreal is a solid action RPG with soft rogue-like elements that manages to swing above its weight where it counts, but still suffers from some noticeable jank. The game still plays well and offers plenty of replayability, including a secret ending only accessible in a New Game Plus run. At the end of the day, Empyreal is a solid first showing by Silent Games, a team who clearly knows what they want to create. If you live for games where you can maximize the strengths of your playstyle while minimizing the weaknesses, Empyreal is for you. I see a second climb in my near future. Here's to hopi...

When you have a dungeon with near infinite possibilities and it’s your only source of equipment, you go dungeon diving. Investigating the mysteries of a dungeon with infinite loot is tiring, but it’s your only way to strengthen yourself. It isn’t easy to constantly dive in the hopes that you get better equipment. But the future is punishing, and your expedition team is counting on you. If you don’t get stronger, everything comes to a standstill.

Despite its flashy looks, Empyreal is a bog-standard ARPG that somehow lacks any of the things that make these games fun and interesting.

Empyreal is fun in short bursts, but offers little to stand out or really pull you into its story and universe.

Ever since FromSoftware's Souls series started rising in popularity, the vast majority of action role-playing games developed by smaller and more established studios have been inspired in some capacity by the Japanese developer's franchise. While many of these games are great experiences on their own, they highlighted how the genre is suffering from some homogenization, where very few are the games that try to break from the mould and offer something different. For this reason, I could not help but appreciate Empyreal's approach to the genre when I first tried it in February.

Empyreal offers a fun combat if you can understand and manage the progression and gear systems, but other than that, the story, world and character design, and atmosphere feels empty and disconnected from the player and their avatar's perspective and experience.