During GDC I was allowed to try out Liberte for PC. Liberte is a rogue-like isometric ARPG themed after the French Revolution, but this isn’t a historical game.
What sets this game apart from others in the genre is its deck-building mechanic. As you progress through the story, you find cards that will grant abilities, traits, and items. You can upgrade or swap out the cards to fit your playstyle. To play a card, you must sacrifice others to pay its cost. This creates this loop of constantly cycling through your cards to find a combination that best fits your playstyle. I was distracted by conversation and kept forgetting to build my deck. I wouldn’t advise trying to beat the game with just the basic attack.
The bit of combat I tried was a lot of fun. The dodge feels fantastic, and successfully avoiding attacks was very satisfying. I liked that unlocking new abilities changed the combat. The first ability I unlocked was a guitar bash that gave my character a nice acoustic guitar to carry on his back. I appreciate the attention to detail and love smashing my enemies with this ability. There were other fun flavor texts sprinkled throughout my playthrough that make me believe that a lot of love was put into this game.
I can’t speak on the story because I skipped through the cutscenes to get to the combat, but it seems interesting based on the summary on Steam. I did get to see a lot of the art for the cutscenes. I love the art and aesthetic of this game. One issue I had with this game is that some of the paths are a bit hard to see. I played an older build, and they might have fixed it for the release. It isn’t a terrible deal breaker, but it is something I noticed. If they didn’t, it isn’t a huge deal because there is a nice little guiding mechanic available if you ever get stuck.
I liked what I was able to try out and will be trying to get a copy for a full review. If you like ARPGs, Liberte is at least worth looking into. You can buy it for early access on Steam now, or wait till its full release on April 6, 2023. At the moment, Liberte is only planned for PC.
Have A Nice Death
A new trailer for Have a Nice Death is out and it looks so cute! You play as Death as he tries to take back control of his company and his unruly employees. This 2D rogue-like will have you jumping across the halls of Death Inc as you use magic and items to quell the unrest. If you are a fan of platformers, this should be on your list.
This game reminds me a lot of The Company Man, and I loved that game. The art is cute, the maps look cool, and the gameplay looks fun but challenging. I don’t like platformers, but I am willing to make an exception if I can find the time to play this.
You can buy Have a Nice Death on early access on Steam or wait for it to come out on the Nintendo Switch on March 22, 2022. The game costs $24.99, but it’s 10% off on Steam till March 23. With how the reviews on Steam are looking, you should at least Wishlist this game for later.
