Rogue Point is a new tactical roguelite FPS from the creators of Black Mesa, Crowbar Collective. With publishing by Team17 (a lot of games), this solo or co-op experience is available now in Early Access. You can pick it up only on Steam.
Go Roguelite on that FPS
Rogue Point certainly gives off a unique vibe. A cross between a tactical FPS and a roguelite was enough to interest me. But can it hit the best points of each genre? Find out in this early access look below.
Gameplay
A co-op, tactical roguelite FPS is the best way I can categorize Rogue Point. It combines aspects from several genres and blends them nicely into a stand-out product. With up to 3 others, start up a campaign, select your loadout and drop into various different missions against a band of thugs for hire.
Rogue Point features several tactical shooter mechanics. These include items such as loadouts and a tactical overview map. Mission types include familiar tactical objectives such as hostage rescue and bomb defusal, or sometimes a combination. My only complaint about the tactical overview map is that planning is nice and good, but only if you’re familiar with the map. Just a compass and highlighted objectives don’t work the best when you try to lay out a route.
The game gets a roguelite tag from the ways to enhance your character as you play. Rogue Point has skills that are rewards from missions that act as pick-ups would in a regular roguelite. Campaigns are also laid out with progression that allows you to choose between two or sometimes three available missions. Campaign progression is lost if you and your squad fail a mission three times. There’s also a random weapon system called dead drops that can show up within enemy stash rooms found on the maps. I don’t fully understand this system, but I know it costs a lot to roll for the drop in the mission prep and it was unclear if drops show up in-round without rolling for one beforehand.
Graphics & Audio
The graphics for Rogue Point are pretty smooth. A lot of the modelling and shading is similar to what you would find in the refined Half-Life experience that is Black Mesa. I’m playing on PC with the default settings, although I did note that between the time of getting the game to review and writing this article, there was an update that added DirectX 12 for high performance. Playing this versus the regular mode, I didn’t really notice much of a change. The lighting was probably better, but I’m too blunt to see it.
The sounds in Rogue Point are pretty standard. You can easily hear footsteps and mumbling of the enemy units – a staple for FPS games. I didn’t note anything that stood out as terrible or out of place. I did like it that when an enemy drops their phone (used to unlock stashes), you can hear it from a fair distance.
Longevity
Longevity, as usual for early access titles, is still a mystery. I will note that Rogue Point does feature a plethora of weapon unlocks such as attachments and cosmetics. Items such as clothing are also earned as rewards for completing sections of a campaign. I personally am hoping to see more carry-over features, like passive skill bonuses and whatnot, that carry over between campaigns. It would definitely add some additional features to make it more roguelite in the long run. Crowbar Collective estimates the game will be in early access for about a year, but advises that they will reduce or extend that estimate as needed.
Final Thoughts
Rogue Point is a fairly solid title to be in Early Access. It has a tactical feel and a unique presentation of missions and objectives. Most of my play time has been solo, and I heavily recommend playing with others. The quick join feature allows you to pick up and play with a group easily. There are a few quality of life improvements I hope that others point out while it is still in development, such as the obnoxiously high gear cost restrictions, but overall, it’s shaping up to be a great game regardless.
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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