I got a heads up last week that RP7 would be getting a demo today, and after looking at the super-cute visuals and reading the elevator pitch, I knew that I would be giving this one a try.
Sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that end up being the best, and while I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, RP7 makes a strong first impression thanks to its straight forward setup and the intuitive way that everything has been delivered.
In RP7 you control a knight who is searching for his missing froggy friend (there are more characters but I’ve not tried them yet). To that end, you embark on an adventure where you’re hopping between tiles and dealing with whatever challenges are thrown before you.
As you hop back and forth, jumping between tiles, you encounter both positive boons and negative challenges. Your character’s responses are automated, in the sense that instead of swinging a sword or holding up a shield, you control the slots and it’s on each tile that your fate is decided.
Each of the seven slots is controlled by a key on your trusty keyboard, Z through to M. Tapping each key spins the respective slot on screen, and so your aim is to spin each slot to something favourable in time for your cute little avatar to land on said slot.
While it is ostensibly that simple, it doesn’t take long for the game’s various mechanics to make themselves known. Enemies will give up gold but deplete your shields and then health. Gold can be spent on opening chests to grab new gear (you get a choice), plus there are shields and potions to grab, too.
It doesn’t take long before things are getting frantic and you’re cycling through the slots ahead of you as you try to find favourable next steps. My biggest problem was being too trigger-happy and cycling past good options, and my reaction times were really tested.
The demo and RP7’s Early Access release plans
The demo includes a nice early slice of the game; enough to show you what it’s all about, including a couple of bosses and a few NPCs (one of whom reminded me of Gene from Wreck-It Ralph). The full game includes much more of everything. Seven of everything, actually:
RP7’s core gameplay revolves around the number 7. There are seven stages generated in a semi-random manner, seven playable characters with unique abilities, and seven slots for you to arrange as your character pushes forward. It also boasts over 200 distinctive items to collect, over 60 varieties of monsters to encounter, and over 20 boss types to defeat. With careful planning and a bit of luck, you may defeat each boss and rescue your lost pet frog.
When RP7 does release, it’ll do so on a variety of platforms, including PC and consoles, as well as mobile. The PC version of the game supports co-op where players operate the same keyboard, though I don’t see how that would work on mobile.
There’s a trailer below, which showcases the game’s lovely art style, and you can download the demo and wishlist the game via its Steam page.
RP7 has been developed by Korean developer Turtle Cream, and it will launch in Early Access on PC at some still-to-be-determined point in the summer of 2024. After that, expect to see it on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox platforms.
