As anyone who’s ever unfortunate enough to get stuck sitting next to me at a party will know, I’m interested when big budget games utilise roguelike staples to bring something new to the proverbial table.
The latest game developer with means to explore the intersection between challenge, replayability, and depth is 24 Entertainment, the makers of Naraka: Bladepoint. This enduring battle royale is martial arts focused and has done pretty well since launching back in 2021.
The game mode in question is called Yama’s Abyss. The devs describe it as “a brand new roguelike iteration of Showdown Mode,” where “all players start on equal footing, taking on an unlimited number of random stages. Players can obtain a wide variety of temporary enhancements to strengthen themselves as levels get progressively more challenging.”
Let’s pause there and go back to the official statement in a minute. Naraka is, as stated, a battle royale – an inherently multiplayer experience. The issue with any long-running online game is that the players who stick around get pretty damn good while casuals and newcomers can find going up against them increasingly difficult.
This new roguelike-inspired mode is a core part of a shake-up to Naraka in general, with the developers trying to find a way to keep the game inviting to noobs. This also means a new seasonal approach to the PvE portion of the game and progress a reset every few months, with the first scheduled for early March, 2024.
Back to the official spiel
When playing Yama’s Abyss, Souljades that you have equipped will not initially appear in your Souljade Bag, but instead will randomly appear in the in-game Rift Dealer. Explore Yama’s Abyss, discover various enhancements, and challenge countless random levels!
Advancing through the tiers of Yama’s Abyss and increasing your rank in the Showdown Season will earn you valuable rewards, including the Regular Treasure Choice Gift and the Rank Avatar. At the end of each Showdown Season, both your rank and rewards progress will be reset.
Showdown Mode is the PvE portion of Naraka with enemy waves that culminate with big boss battles. Thus, a roguish spin on that formula seems somewhat sensible given how replayable this familiar gameplay loop can potentially make things.
If you’re one of those folks who enjoys watching trailers, I’ve added the Yama’s Abyss update vid below for the pleasuring of your discerning eyeballs. In it, you’ll see tons of chaotic PvE gameplay, some notes on the gameplay features, and a boss battle.
I had a quick look myself, and I saw a system where players get to choose between different abilities, as you do in a standard roguelite. It certainly looks interesting!
For more great roguelikes and roguelites, check out my guide to the best of the best.
