I’ve always got about 15 things on the go at any one time – alas, I’m not even joking – and that can mean a few hold-ups as I try to keep track of all the top-tier games that are coming out and get my opinions down on paper in a reasonable timeframe.
That’s my terrible excuse for taking this long to tell you about Sephiria, an action-roguelite about a triple-hard bunny with a grudge and a sword. It’s the work of Team Horay, who previously gave us Dungreed, and it has been out on PC (Mac, Win) since July 31st.
What is Sephiria?
Team Horay’s new action-RPG is a game about a bunny who has been fated to clear out the dungeons underneath his home, a doomed village called Bunnyville, and then battle through an army of demons on his way to repelling the evil entity called Qliphoth.
To that end, you and your bunny go on adventures underground, through forests, and into the abyssal core, fighting all manner of animalistic and demonic enemies in tense but satisfying combat encounters. Along the way, there are characters to meet, bosses to battle, and an increasingly creative inventory system to manage.
Sephiria is an action-roguelite, so there’s a pronounced gameplay loop where failure is built into the experience, but it’s also a cute indie game with co-op (which I’ve not tried yet) and a really approachable aesthetic. Not only is the pixel art absolutely delightful, but the controls are clean and responsive, the theory-crafting is novel, and the progression system is decent. I’m having a great time with it.
Hopping into action
Your little bunny is a deft fighter. This is an action-roguelite in the spirit of Enter the Gungeon, in the sense that you’ll be dodging this way and that, with enemies attacking from all sides. Combat is intense but fair, as you can see enemy attacks before they strike, and your bunny is quite agile.
You can unlock a number of different weapons, and each one changes up your playstyle accordingly. Similarly, your bunny can wear stat-altering outfits to suit specific tactics, and these eventually lead to unlocking new species types.
More impactful to the moment-to-moment experience are the items you can equip. These give you new attacks and enhance your weapons with powerful elemental effects. There are weapon-specific upgrades waiting to be earned, too, as you look to boost your damage dealing powers.
The arenas themselves are compact and full of nice little details. There’s just enough interactivity for me, and there are a few secrets if you look hard enough for them. Exploration in general is nicely done, as you must clear out a room before you can advance through each interconnected floor.
Interesting inventory
One point of difference that helps Sephiria feel very much like its own game is the inventory system, which drives your in-game progression. Every time you level up, you are given a new item to place in your inventory. Some of these are simple buffs, elemental damage bonuses, or health potions, but many of them are completely new attacks and abilities.
It’s not long before you’re moving things around and trying to maximise your gear, and adding new attacks to your playstyle, such as floating turrets that follow you into battle. There are also NPCs who’ll help you fight, if you can afford them, of course.
Some items you pick up will boost or negatively impact other tiles in your inventory. Positioning these items is the key to getting the most out of your set-up, and it’s a welcome wrinkle that gives extra texture to the item management. Once your inventory is full, it becomes almost puzzle-like as you work your gear into the best config possible.
When combined with the combat system, it creates great moments and exciting gameplay that feels informed by your past choices. Your gear really matters in Sephiria, and every new run is a chance to put together an exciting build out of the items you scraped together. I’ve had a lot of fun with it so far, and I daresay it’ll be in the conversation for a spot in my GOTY round-up at the end of the year.
Sephiria is out now on PC (Mac, Win), and I played via access kindly provided by the developer and their PR friends.
