Games of the week – Rogue Heroes: Ruins Of Tasos, Curse Of The Dead Gods, Survival Z and With My Dog
Rogue Heroes: Ruins Of Tasos
Platform: Switch
Genre: Roguelike / dungeon crawler
Price: £15.99
A real gem
It's hard not to draw comparisons to Zelda in style and substance, with undeniable echoes of Hyrule in the early days – though the story in Rogue Heroes: Ruins Of Tasos is nowhere near as strong or compelling. Gems are the main focus of everything to go forward, particularly building up your home village. These can be found lurking in the dangerous dungeons you need to complete, in order to progress to the main dungeon. The arrangement of rooms shifts about each time you revisit after dying. The dungeons and the puzzles within aren’t easy to overcome in one piece, but they’re still fun.
Skip to the end: The accessible yet challenging nature is both entertaining and rewarding.
Score: 8/10
Curse Of The Dead Gods
Platform: Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC
Genre: Adventure
Price: £17.99
A journey through the darkness
While some games lack rewards to make you want to play, Curse Of The Dead Gods goes the other way, throwing in too many to the point of confusion. While we liked the dimly-lit monster-slaying action, there’s not enough variety to gameplay and we found ourselves avoiding the same foes constantly, who aren’t exactly intelligent – hiding behind a wall and they won’t follow, making it too easy to attack. The controls are too formulaic as well – attack, dodge and repeat. The restarts each time you lose can be frustrating but this does offer lots of replayability at least, as different routes put you through alternative challenges. A lack of character development also prevented us from feeling hugely attached to the overall story.
Skip to the end: There are enjoyable elements but that fades after a while due to its confusing nature.
Score: 6/10
Survival Z
Platform: iOS
Genre: Adventure / Shooter
Price: £4.99 per month with Apple Arcade
Shooting high
Survival Z does something other games dare not – taking away the fun of shooting. The story is by no means original, humanity fighting against a horde of zombies, but taking away the focus on shooting is a positive move. Your character will shoot for themselves, but add objects being thrown your way, and you have a different kind of survival game. Plus, it’s all very cartoony, so not a concern for younger players to enjoy.
Skip to the end: Varied game play and alternate focus takes away the need for senseless button mashing.
Score: 7/10
With My Dog
Platform: Android
Genre: Simulation
Price: Free (with in-app payments)
Puptastic
Pets have been a great source of comfort over this past year, but not all of us can properly care for a dog. So, in comes With My Dog, a free Android app that allows you to look after your very own canine. It doesn’t add much to what we’ve seen from other games, but you can choose from 190 kinds of dogs, pet them, take them on virtual walks, and take augmented reality photos of them. There are extras which come at a cost, but you can still have much of the fun for free.
Skip to the end: Cute, light-hearted fun, ideal for younger family members.
Score: 6/10
