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0 Odinfall is a fast-paced, roguelite bullet-hell now available in early access. It is an evolution of the game Gaunt Valkyr by indie studio Ember Paw Games. With publishing by Fireshine Games (Core Keeper, Shadows of Doubt), you can pick it up today over on Steam for £11.
Weapons Abound in Odinfall
I sure seem to be hitting up a lot of roguelite games lately. Not only that but ones relating to Norse mythology too. The pace of bullet-hell games has kept me mostly away from this area of the genre, but Odinfall has been a positive experience. Has a game’s pace ever kept you from trying something new? Check out my thoughts on this early access entry below.
Gameplay
Odinfall is fast. It’s also a bullet-hell. But fear not, it’s also a roguelite! Loki, in disembodied form, has been sent to an odd technologically advanced confinement. Among the technology in the room happens to be your cryogenically frozen body, which he recruits to assist him in escaping this place. First starting out as the “Cyberserker”, you’ll travel the Bifrost to explore different zones in search for answers. Along the way discovering new weapons, completing challenges, and also finding other specimens (playable characters) to level and take part in Loki’s scheme. His plan includes first going out and finding what has become of Fenrir and Jörmungandr. Given that these are the first two zones of currently three, I suspect the last zone may belong to Hel.
I die a lot in Odinfall. Thankfully it becomes easier over time as you acclimate to the fast pace of the game. Each run also earns experience toward levelling the specific character on that run. Each level earns a point to put into a skill tree too. The skill trees are also unique to each character and provide different bonuses and buffs for your playstyle. Right now I find anything that gives me extra health to be my focus but I can see that changing over time. In addition to advancing skills while in the prison hub, you can also check up on lore, weapons, enemies, and game progress in addition to a few other titbits I’ll leave for you to discover.
There are a ton of different weapons in Odinfall with various degrees of strength and rarity. Weapons are discoverable through the zones and completing challenges. Modifications are also picked up or purchased to further increase the effective output of your weaponry. Just be sure to keep an eye on your ammo pools, which are split by type. Weapons and bonus skill cards are also purchasable in addition to mods as the end of each level. I find that effective weaponry, while mostly up to chance from drops, depends too on which of the various enemy types you face, not just your playstyle.
Graphics & Audio
Going through my previous reviews, it’s somewhat obvious that pixel-style games are my Steam Deck go-to. Odinfall is no different. It also is Steam Deck verified which will be a boon to its following. The game looks great and runs very smoothly. I was able to maintain a fairly consistent 60 FPS frame rate most of the time both on Steam Deck and my PC. Completely filling the screen with projectiles like in the first image on this review made them dip lower. However, the impact to gameplay was hardly noticeable and I am usually too busy dodging things to notice.
Audio tracks in Odinfall are just as driving as the gameplay. It has that heavy metal electronica type of feel while out in the levels. The prison area is much lighter though. It reminds me of the starting area of another game, but I can’t quite remember which. Perhaps others may be able to. Either way, it’s nice to have a place to chill between runs.
Longevity
I found myself easily playing Odinfall quite a bit. Most roguelites have that natural tendency to draw you in as you continue to gradually increase in power between runs. With fourteen hours in, I’m currently sitting at about 29% completion. I presume that is only of what is currently available. Anyone looking to complete it to 100% is definitely putting at least 30-40 hours. They may better at bullet-hell games than me, so maybe less.
Final Thoughts
Odinfall is another impressive entry into early access. The game seems like it was already pretty solid with the Gaunt Valkyr version already. Now we have more content to look forward to. I most definitely have a lot more things to unlock in the meantime.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this preview.
If you enjoy this review, check out my other reviews here.
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