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0 Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is the latest FPS adventure deep into Ghost Ship Game’s mining planet of Hoxxes. In this roguelite structure, you’re sent as a Reclaimer to investigate mining operations deep within the planet. With nothing but a pick in your hand, join up with up to three other players and earn upgrades and gear enhancements the deeper you go. It is available now in early access on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
Not the Usual Mining Adventure in Rogue Core
I’m still a big fan of Deep Rock Galactic. Like many games, I haven’t spent as much time in it as I would have liked. But my ears perked up when I caught wind of a new entry to the IP. This was especially the case once I found out it was going to be a roguelite too! Check out my thoughts on the state of the latest entry below.
Gameplay
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is a new co-op action FPS roguelite set within the same setting as the original DRG. Instead of dropping into Hoxxes to mine, this time you’re being sent in as a Reclaimer to investigate why everything has gone dark and get things back up and running. After all, the company just discovered a powerful, valuable new mineral called expenite. Lost time is lost profits for the company!
As a Reclaimer in Rogue Core, the lowest level of each facility site has a rift that needs sealing to abate the swarms of core spawn. Core spawn are what I assume are the native horrors that live at the deepest levels of Hoxxes. They come in various sizes and degrees of difficulty as well. They are plentiful and will impede your progress in waves. Making your way to the rift itself will become troublesome if you can’t keep them downed. Oh and while you’re down there be sure to mine some of that expenite too. For the company, you know.
Collecting expenite is what ultimately provides the majority of the various stacking buffs during a run. Upon reaching an increasing amount, you are given the choice of three random buffs or a consistent health choice. These buffs stack and only last during the run. Ultimately whether you succeed in reclaiming each facility or not, completing and gathering various items adds to your overall progress with the class you ran with. There are also bio enhancements found on some floors with a more distinct and powerful buff, unlocked using a puzzle mechanic from DRG. Though not as prominent, they seem to be the better buff if you find them.
So… This Isn’t Deep Rock Galactic?
It both is and it isn’t. I mean honestly the name of the game is Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core. So it’s in the name. It also overtly looks and feels like DRG. But I think for most players it comes down to how the gameplay actually works in relation to the previous game. This is where it becomes a bit confusing.
Out of context and at a glance, the two games are admittedly indistinguishable from one another. I’ll touch more on that later. But overall I would say that the gameplay feels like it is about 75% DRG and 25% Rogue Core. I say this because just playing the game and how it is currently structured it feels like it should be a DLC/Expansion with a new game mode rather than a fully separate game. Or just call it DRG2. Missions, intel, scrip progression for cosmetics, etc all look and feel like a lacking version of the original.
The biggest difference between the two is that you don’t load up your equipment before descending the depths. Instead you unlock slots for enhancements to augment your current class. Each of the five classes has it’s own unique abilities but enhancements are shared across them. Enhancements are unlocked talent tree style with unlock currency earned from experience per run. Classes also do not appear to be limited to certain equipment; it all depends on what the random number generator offers you. There also doesn’t seem to be weapon-specific enhancements either, so it’s hard to advance any of them between rounds.
Rogue as in Roguelite, Right?
There are some distinct mechanics of Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core that push it into the roguelite genre. The most obvious is the drop in starting with nothing but a random weapon and grenade. Plus whatever enhancements you had in their slots. But after that your progressive buffs come only in minor form after mining enough expenite or occasional workbench. Then it’s pass or fail, rinse and repeat. As with other roguelites, dying is just inevitable but in Rogue Core it can be a bit aggressive.
Between runs, progression carries mostly in the form of the enhancement unlocks. In addition to unlocking more difficult, deeper and complex facilities to explore. Each floor also has it’s own timer with incoming hordes marked along the clockwise line that moves at an unknown pace. This point made me understand why as someone who enjoys DRG and also roguelites of various forms, Rogue Core can be a bit frustrating.
I want to explore every inch of each floor. I want to gather as much expenite as I can to get as many buffs as I can before reaching the rift boss (if I manage to make it there at all). But I can’t clock the floor timer and as a result, constantly misjudge just how much time I have left to go get that tiny, insignificant shiny across the room. I don’t know where the happy medium lies but I know it’s hard to fight that exploration itch when think you have more time than you really do!
Graphics & Audio
I’m currently playing Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core on PC. You’ll notice that it is also available on both current and previous gen consoles (with the exception for Nintendo). I’m not sure if this is a red flag yet these days but it seems like fewer games are coming out for previous gen consoles. However, it’s apparent that the game is built on top of a DRG framework, complete with procedurally-generated levels and visuals that look nearly identical to its predecessor. It’s hard to call a game something different when it contains assets identical to the existing game. Not to say that the game looks bad, it does look great and plays well for the most part with the occasional graphical glitch due to the procedural generation.
Audio feels like it has also been migrated from the previous game. Yes the lines are different but the consistent comments and banter from the characters lines up in tone with the previous games. And also instead of Mission Control constantly on your case, you have a new entity called Omega as your overseer. My gripe with Omega is that there are times where the line sounds slightly garbled and it is hard to understand what Omega is saying. The text also flashes across the screen so quickly that it is hard to catch at times. I did also take note that Reclaimers seem to be a bit more kind to their utility drone than Miners are.
Longevity
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core should inherently come with a high degree of longevity that most roguelites have. However, in it’s current state I don’t feel it will last as long as it should for the average player. It needs some major restructuring and fine tuning of the mechanics that make it more roguelike to get it past its likeness to DRG. The familiarity with the previous games is nice but that won’t carry it on the long haul. The current progression paths could use some reworking as well to make them feel more rewarding and beneficial, as of the moment they are fairly uninteresting. It’s also a bit ridiculous to expect everyone to spend a scrip per cosmetic per class rather than just unlocking it once for all of them.
Final Thoughts
I am having fun with Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core but can understand where those coming from DRG may be frustrated. In addition to being a certain degree of difficulty right from the start (ammo please?), the game in its current state basically punishes you for trying to explore and go out of your way to gather as much expenite as possible. The return on this investment is menial at best and needs to be re-worked to make the buffs more meaningful. Some kind of re-design of the floor timer, even simply adding in actual numbers, may help with this too and encourage players to be brisk. I’d recommend It also doesn’t help that when you have a game that looks, sounds, and feels like a duck (or DRG) – simply putting a hat on top and saying it’s not will not change people’s view of it.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you enjoy this review, be sure to check out my other reviews here.
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