There are such a lot of roguelike deckbuilders on the market, however what about roguelike deckbuilders that may really be performed by anybody, together with youngsters? Springfox Video games’ Nif Nif desires to supply one thing in that house which the entire household can take pleasure in, and it is now on Kickstarter.
The sport, which already has a Steam web page up and operating (along with a public demo), comes from a crew led by Masha Mallet, “an entrepreneur mom who did not discover many choices among the many technique video games appropriate for her kids.” The studio’s pillars, per its web site, are “accessibility and non-violence, technique for all, and variety.” We are able to get behind all that, however how’s the precise sport? I performed the demo earlier than its launch and have some ideas.
As teased by its newest trailer, Nif Nif has all the essential techniques and mechanics we have come to count on from the style it is attempting to interrupt into. You could put collectively a deck stuffed with motion playing cards and instruments, progress by way of a procedurally generated map full of various encounters and occasions, and attempt to turn out to be as robust as potential earlier than reaching the ultimate boss. At the very least that is what the demo presents.
One main roadblock for youthful gamers or individuals who simply need their video video games to be less complicated are overly advanced consumer interfaces; they’ll typically be overcrowded with info and numbers, or just too visually cluttered. Nif Nif’s clear artwork model goes past the cartoony, cozy visuals and in addition shapes the menus and interface. Huge letters and vibrant colours make every thing pop, and there is by no means an excessive amount of info on show.
This ‘cleanliness’ additionally applies to the precise playing cards being performed, instruments you come throughout, and dishes than will be cooked with the precise components. At this stage, the complete info show of every factor may want some additional work, nevertheless it’s straightforward to discern rapidly what each card does, whether or not it is offensive or defensive. Along with the straight-to-the-point tutorial, which consciously avoids being too wordy, I might see anybody who can management a PC or Swap absolutely understanding the sport inside 10 minutes.
Extra surprisingly, the demo is not a stroll within the park. Nif Nif does an incredible job of telegraphing what the enemies are doing subsequent so you possibly can plan out your restricted variety of actions per flip, but a foul hand can partially wreck your journey with extra ease than you’d count on. Enemies (who’re really animals and different cute critters coated in goo that want cleansing) hit laborious, and mindlessly throwing playing cards at them yields little outcomes. The truth is, I wandered into the ultimate boss of the demo with out many upgrades and was swiftly defeated, prompting me to restart with a special, extra defensive construct (you possibly can equip everlasting objects in the beginning of every run) that healed me after every fight encounter.
Nif Nif is welcoming, however that does not imply it is frictionless. I underestimated it and needed to return to sq. one. Whereas I will not be its major goal, I can recognize what it is going for and the way nicely it’d land with kids and informal grownup gamers if it continues growth. Even when we put the (true) matter of an overabundance of violence in video video games apart, sure genres are admittedly ‘restricted’ to extra mature avid gamers, so I have to agree with Springfox Video games’ guiding sentiment.
When you’ve loved the demo as a lot as I’ve and need (and may) help this indie enterprise, remember to take a look at Nif Nif’s Kickstarter web page, which will probably be up and operating till September 13. A lot of the event seems to be accomplished already, however Springfox hasn’t had as a lot luck with publishers and will use some assist. Anybody at Gamescom also can take a look at the sport in particular person and discuss to the crew.
