SmashGames' products have been some of the most addictively fun games I've played ever since I found his first game, "Magicite". It's been interesting to see him evolving and innovating while still staying true to his rogue-like, pixel-art origins. Surely he isn't a perfect developer. His tendency to abandon his projects is something that he himself has addressed before. Despite this, I think there really is something special in the games that he makes, so I want to talk about them here.

Magicite

This was my introduction to SmashGames, and it was also his introduction to game development (besides Dragonbolt Vanguard. But that game had one of the most insulting gacha systems on top of just not being very fun). A few friends of mine insisted that I buy the game so that we could play multiplayer together. Unfortunately, there were quite a few problems with this. Multiplayer bugs were so painful that we eventually just stopped trying.

I haven't tried multiplayer since, so it might have been fixed, but I wouldn't count on it. Instead, I tried playing the game myself and was spellbound by the gameplay. I always love core gameplay that beats me into mulch when I start out, and becomes as natural as breathing over time. Magicite is the poster child for that design philosophy. So we control a character on a 2d axis, jumping, dashing, attacking, and using items so proceed through a procedurally generated level. Monsters, trees, chests, and bushes will drop resources to make your character stronger as you go through the different stages.

Gameplay

What really makes this game is the movement system. Combat is serviceable, and the random elements add some charm to the experience. But jumping and dashing around the stages, and weaving through traps, projectiles, and monsters is just so cathartic. Too bad the fun is locked at the start. This is a rogue-like, meaning that perks and upgrades for your character are locked until you fulfill certain conditions. One of these gives your character unlimited jumps. Otherwise, you can only double-jump. Roguelands learned from this mistake and gave the unlimited jumps to the player from the start.

Besides that, there are some mini-bosses of middling difficulty randomly appearing in some stages that have way too much health so they're just a chore to get through especially since you're on a timer in each stage. And after 20 stages, the normal gateway into the stage will be replaced by a new corrupted, purple one leading to the final boss stage. This final boss is a complete joke that can be easily beaten even without a weapon.

Conclusion

Like I said, the movement in the game is the custard in the donut. It absolutely makes the whole thing worthwhile. There is no story to speak of, there is some lack of content, and even in single-player, bugs are a real issue. But considering that this was SmashGames' first attempt at this kind of game, he really did a lot of stuff right. Were these lessons applied to his next game?

Roguelands

If I had to use one phrase to describe this game, I'd say, "One step forward; two steps back." There's not much to say about the core gameplay. Rogue-like, 2d axis, jump, dash, attack, items. Although, there are now skills that either give passive boosts to your character or have some active effect like shooting a fireball or making a shield. But Roguelands derives so much from Magicite that the comparison is unavoidable. So let's go through the pros and cons.

Pros

Alright, so there is a story this time around. 4 of them actually, for whatever reason. You select a faction at character creation and go down that story-line. There's a great amount of variety in the weapons and the enemies, almost to an absurd degree. So I guess this was SmashGames making up for the lack of content in Magicite. And if you just want more of a game, then Roguelands probably has you covered. Unfortunately, some of the things that were added were not all positive.

Cons

I know saying this is going to invalidate my opinion instantly, but I couldn't finish a single storyline. Each of the final bosses is completely impossible, even when I use the strongest gear in the game. Sure, the final boss in Magicite was pathetic, but this was going too far in the other direction. Here's another problem with the combat, when you go into fighting stance, black bars cover 20% of the screen. This is great for giving a cinematic feel to the fight. Not so much when I'm trying to see the fight.

The level generation is also really poor compared to Magicite. Every stage here is just a box connected to another box, while Magicite had rooms of varying shapes and sizes. Oh, and making the player grind resources that aren't even permanent upgrades to your character is the worst thing ever.

Conclusion

Roguelands is still fun on a base level due to the jumping and dashing. And the combat is a lot more impactful too. But there's a lot of design flaws that I had trouble getting over, and some that I didn't get over. Namely those stupid bosses.
But if they don't bother you, then this game is a solid improvement on the Magicite formula.

Overall Summary

I realize that I sound really down on both of these games, so let me clarify. I've had Magicite and Roguelands for years now, and I still return to both of them occasionally and have over 50 hours of gameplay in each. So there must be something I like about them.

I play Magicite more even though it has less content because it works better as a 'snacky' sort of game. The kind that you play for half-hour sessions as a break in between getting work done.

Roguelands requires a greater commitment if you actually want to get through it. Partly to grind rare resources and equipment, and partly to become stupidly good at the game so you can beat those ridiculous bosses.

Between the two, I think there is something for everyone here. And I can't imagine what would ever make me get tired of playing Magicite honestly. I know there are a lot of people with grievances with Sean, but his grasp of fun core gameplay means I just can't write him off. You'd better believe that I'm looking forward to his new projects.