Sunken Realms is a solo action roguelite by solo developer Magic Puncher Games. Descend into an ever-changing and procedurally re-arranging multi-floor dungeon. Loot and gather materials to upgrade your gear and stats to increase how far you can go. You can pick it up now, only on Steam for PC.
Did you die? Again?
Roguelites follow the simple formula of run, die, upgrade and repeat. It’s interesting to see though how the styles and implementation differ. Sunken Realms looks to be something different that the usual bullet-hell, neck-break speed I tend to find myself playing. But slower doesn’t always mean easier, as you’ll find in my review below.
Gameplay
Sunken Realm is a solo player, third-person roguelite. As the protagonist Alric, descend into a multi-floor dungeon that re-organizes itself every time you enter. Find what clues you can about his missing father and face a variety of enemies on each floor. The hardest choice is deciding when to flee with your loot and when to press deeper. Dying means losing it all, so take stock and choose wisely to bolster your gear and stats.
A lot of roguelite games seem to rely on procedurally-generated maps. It’s honestly part of what makes them fun (for me at least). Sunken Realms is different in that the floor is procedurally re-arranged from crafted modules or rooms. The result is a curious maze for each run with familiar aspects but confusing layouts. The map is somewhat helpful but I still spent a good amount of time trying to keep track of where I had and hadn’t been.
I still trying to push through floor three of the five. It’s hard to say what character improvements fully lie ahead. Base stats only receive an increase by paying for them or looting an amulet that bolsters them. So gathering as much gold as I can before returning to the surface feels like it is keeping me from further progression. This does seem to keep me from having as many frustrating encounters. And completing a boss room earns you a currency to skip that section on a later run.
Graphics & Audio
Sunken Realms is only available on PC. Though it has full controller support, I stuck to mouse and keyboard as well. I didn’t have to modify any of the default graphic settings and thankfully it isn’t as dark and gritty as some dungeon crawlers can be. The models and rooms are of quality design as well. I did notice an occasional issue with collision at times where rooms were put together. Barrels also appear to enjoy dancing at times after a good thrashing.
The audio in Sunken Realms is also fairly simple but pleasant. Each floor has it’s own mood music. Encounters start music of their own for the time you’re in a fight. I found myself using this to recognize if there was an active threat toward me. It came in fairly handy in that regard.
Longevity
Obtaining all the lore pieces and resolving the main storyline seems to be the main drive. It doesn’t seem like it would have much to offer beyond that. There aren’t other characters to unlock or anything, so maybe a playthrough or two to try a different build? This is where the missing depth of Sunken Realms comes into play too.
Final Thoughts
Sunken Realm is slightly more robust than some of the more simple roguelites I’ve reviewed. But it could still have room for improvement. Thankfully Magic Puncher Games is keeping an eye on community feedback and adjusting accordingly. Though it’s not technically in early access, I would consider it more of a soft launch with ongoing improvement. With where it is now, its core is still solid enough to earn the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
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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