Ukrainian developers Sengi Games recently released The Serpent Rogue an Action/Adventure title published by Team 17. Available now on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S/X and Playstation 5.
The Brew Master
Having come from a Ukrainian developer I was eager to play The Serpent Rogue. Not only because as a game it looks really captivating, but also out of a show of support for Ukraine.
Gameplay
Action and adventure fans will enjoy The Serpent Rogue as this format is tried and true and can be great when it’s done well. Tackle the Serpent Rogue who is responsible for the corruption troubling the lands.
With a sinister corruption affecting everything in its path, your goal will be to cleanse these areas. Some small sections of corruption can stop you from progressing into homes. There are also corruption storms that can engulf an area leading to the restoration of items. On the downside, if you are caught in a corruption storm you will start to lose health. Should you die you can run to your corpse to collect your items, if you die before you get there everything will be lost
As a player, you spend most of your time exploring, as the game doesn’t give you much of any information aside from what you can find in various world tomes. These tomes are scattered throughout the world. In this game, the fun comes from exploring and discovering new things that unlock new areas or solve new puzzles. Aside from a few early interactions, and using followers and pets to carry an item needed to clean corrupted areas, there is very little dialogue.
Crafting
With the help of your trusty portable lab, you can craft and research different items. The first item you will likely learn to craft is an Axe, however, if you are running low on resources keep an eye out I have stumbled across them occasionally.
In order to reap maximum benefit from plants, enemies, and the environment, you will need to research what each ingredient does, and then figure out how to combine them. For me, this started as a bit of trial and error and resulted in the loss of plants. Pay close attention to the research results and see what that item gives you. It’s easy to turn a healing potion into a damage potion with a switch of just one ingredient.
Graphics & Audio
The Serpent Rogue has an art style that is hauntingly beautiful. Whether you are in an area suffering corruption or safely in the confines of a village. Thought has gone into the insides of homes, some will have a chest that acts as your worldwide loot storage, fires, and beds. It is the work that has gone into the items you can not interact with that makes the area pop.
Through its art design, the game creates a creepy dark atmosphere through contrasting colours. Dark and glowing skies are combined in the world-building of the game to create detailed and complex environments. Featuring 17 tracks which match the game brilliantly, I do think that a lot of thought has gone into mixing the art style and the audio.
Longevity
The Serpent Rogue is an 8-10 hour adventure depending on your game style. If you are taming beasts and exploring then there is every chance that you will be at the top end of this. It feels right for this style of game that it didn’t drag out and it wasn’t over so quickly that left you wanting more. There is no multiplayer option as you can hire friends to help you out along your journey. In my impression, there is no need for multiplayer on this title it isn’t a Diablo-style game.
Final Thoughts
The Serpent Rogue has times that it can be incredibly frustrating, early on the lack of information really confused me. I deleted my save game so that I could experience it fresh on 2 occasions. I didn’t want to base the review on that frustration because it wouldn’t have been such a shame. Once everything clicked I really enjoyed the game. A bit of work needs to be done on the combat system, throwing potions seems slow and can often be dodged entirely.
Serpent Rogue is a great title in a world that looks great and sounds amazing. It is for these reasons I award it the Thumb Culture Gold Award
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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