Sworn the upcoming co-op roguelike from new indie Studio Windwalk games entered early access on February 6th and so far it is simply amazing in what it showcases to be. Windwalk games currently have two games under their belt including Sworn, both of which are in early access.
A Strong Base Of Characters
The title isn’t meant as a negative as Hades is regarded as one of the best roguelikes to come out this decade. Sworn manages to live up to it by basically following in its footsteps but still changing up the formula to maintain originality and interest.
For example, instead of one character we can choose between 4, each one having its own unique set of weapons and starting spells. The controls include having one light attack, one heavy attack and lastly a spell chosen before starting the run.
Each of the four characters represent a particular playstyle for example, Vigilante has access to a set of weapons that prioritize quick low damage attacks and dodging, the character Rook is the character that prioritizes inflicting high damage but has slow attacks, perfect for those wanting to play tanks.
The next two are mainly ranged characters, Spectre is considered the mage but at the same time he has access to some fast hitting melee weapons such as a scythe, arcane blades and claws.
The last character is Monk, being the cleric of the group with an interesting array of weapons, those being a Mace, a magic staff, a tome and a chime. Monk can be considered the fully ranged character of the group as most of her attacks can deal damage from a distance.
Weapon Upgrades And Skills
Each weapon from the arsenal that is available to the player can also be upgraded provided the player has the required materials in possession. These materials can be obtained through defeating certain rooms or particular bosses much like in Hades.
There are also 5 skill trees available for the player to make use of, which are Devotion, War, Life, Treasure and Wealth. The Life skill tree is only unlocked at the beginning with the rest needing to be unlocked by spending crystal shards that are obtained from runs.
The inclusion of these skill trees introduces some level of complexity to any new player as they will have to decide on which tree to invest first as crystal shards will be hard to come by early on, thus making the player think twice before making a decision.
Blessings Of The Gods
Just like in Hades, there are various gods that will each give us a buff to use and build upon as the run progresses. There are currently 8 gods or beings available, those being Badb, someone who’s boons prioritize backstab damage increases or increases to movement speed, Beira who boon gives us the ability to inflict frost on enemies slowing them down.
Cliona’s boons deal with weakening foes changes to rarity, Gogmagog’s boons deal increases to stun and stagger. There are more gods who each can give a unique buff for the player to utilize in gameplay.
Just like in Hades there is also the inclusion duo-boons, boons that require the player to have one of each god’s boon to obtain, the inclusion of these almost certainly helps with having build variety and forces the player to think on their feet if they don’t get the boon they desired in the first place.
Conclusion
Following in the footsteps of something great is never a bad thing, those who dismiss this gem as just a copy-paste are sure to miss out on the originality that the game provides along with its standout difference of co-op multiplayer. The steam reviews themselves speak to the game’s quality as it is currently sitting at ‘Very positive’ with critics praising its game’s play, mechanics and ink-like artstyle.
Sworn 1.0’s future is looking very bright based on the reviews alone, it has all the makings of a great roguelike and may achieve where other co-op roguelikes fell short like TMNT: Splintered Fate. However there isn’t any timeline as to when the game will hit version 1.0 thus players will have to contend themselves with the early access version.
