Sometimes you’ll see a game and instantly know that it’s going to show you a good time. The question is only: how long will it sustain my attention? In the case of Against Great Darkness, I’ve already sunk several hours into this Early Access shooter and I can see that I’m going to spend longer still blasting my way out of Hell.
Yes, that’s Hell with a capital “H”. In AGD you are a pagan god or hero, and you’re being pulled into the pits of Hell. It’s up to you to get out, a feat achieved by blasting your way through a trio of extended stages, each one full of encounters that are elegantly strung together to create a free-flowing stream of arcade blasting and disk spanking.
Would you like to know more, Pagan?
Against Great Darkness is a game that revels in its minimalist art style, and that style fits the theme perfectly. I was immediately reminded of classic shoot ’em ups of old. It’s Galaga and Ikaruga but shot through with some Downwell. The bullet hell vibe is complemented by an Arkanoid-inspired brick-breaking gameplay loop that has already proven to be a wonderful bedfellow for roguish gameplay structures via the excellent Breakout Survivors.
What I love about Against Great Darkness is that it takes all of the above gameplay ingredients and blends in a bunch of mythological themes, kinda like Hades but also nothing like Hades at all. It manages to straddle both familiarity and novelty at the same time, and that makes for an engaging arcade experience that has managed to exceed all of my expectations, even at this Early Access stage.
AGD is a constant fight for survival. There are a couple of different ways to damage your enemies. Your avatar auto-fires at groups of pixelated demons for your main attack. At the same time you must juggle a series of discs that can do damage to the swarm from all angles, if you can get them down the sides and then in behind.
You’re constantly moving in and out of dangerous positions as you try to land hits and keep your discs in play, but all the while you’re trying to stay out of trouble and dodge rushing foes and other attacks. Get too bogged down by enemy fire and you can “cleanse” incoming dangers via a bomb that clears the screen of projectiles for a short reprieve.
The discs are the star of the show, however, because there’s a bit of physics involved in their operation. You don’t hit them with a flat paddle and then watch your discs travel off in a straight line; they need momentum and you must generate this energy by using your own movements and the walls either side of you.
A rogue’s gallery of famous disc-throwers
Things change even more when you throw in the different playing styles of the game’s characters. There are nine at the time of writing, and I’ve played with eight of them. Each has slightly reworked base stats and their own unique weapon, so one fires extra bullets while another will hammer your enemies with a continuous energy beam.
The roguelite progression system is built around upgrades to your weapons and paddle, and you can stock up on hearts to make yourself more durable. There’s a shop in-between encounters wherein you can heal up or buy new items. You also earn credits that can be spent between runs, building your power as you go, which only helps you get better at dealing with all those the mobs.
Beating bosses gets you extra sweet gear but naturally these boss battles are more challenging and it’s during these encounters that you’re most likely to shuffle off your current mortal coil. There are three stages – or Circles of Hell – in the Early Access build, with six bosses. There are also random events that pop up from time to time, adding further depth and diversity to each run.
I like the audio-visual style, I love the structure of the campaign and how effortlessly it all flows, and I think it plays really well. Against Great Darkness feels good on the old Steam Deck, too, and the shortish bursts of gameplay make it a grand game to play in-between longer sessions on the big screen. What I’m saying is: it’s hella good!
Against Great Darkness is out now on Steam PC (and there’s a free demo if you’d like to try before you buy). Finally, a big thanks to developer Hitreg Studios for providing us with access to the game!
