Deathless Review

Whenever the time comes for me to find something new to play, I fall into the trap of finding games that are similar to those I’ve played before. While it’s not a terrible strategy, it does mean that I miss out on some gems (and some hilarious moments) along the way. 

Still, every so often, something different will catch my eye, and Deathless is one of those games that had me questioning myself, wondering whether I could get into it, or whether it would lose my attention. At first glance, it has a lot of the things I love: the ability to collect items and hoard them like Smaug, turn-based combat, and even a pick-your-own-adventure element that came as a happy surprise. 

Deathless. The Hero Quest Review

7.5Good

PlatformPC

Release DateDecember 12, 2024

Developer1C Game Studios

PublisherFOR-GAMES CR

But… It’s also a roguelike. 

I’m not a huge fan of roguelikes as a general concept, to be completely honest. I don’t enjoy seeing all of my hard-earned progress thrown away, and that’s true for any genre of games I’ve played. Survival games always lose me if I have to run back to the place where I perished to get my stuff back, and roguelikes always lose me when I realize I have to start all over again. 

Now, there have been countless roguelikes reviewed by fans of the roguelike genre, but I’m going to do something different: Can Deathlike keep me playing despite the dreaded roguelike elements? (Spoiler: Yes.) 

Let them eat cake

I’ll be honest, I made some mistakes going into this. Before I even started a new game, I dived into the “Lore Corner”, which was a staggeringly overwhelming experience that resulted in me staring in confusion for at least a minute before I noped out of there. There is a lot to discover in Deathless, and it’s all there for you to see before you’ve even taken part in your first battle. I wouldn’t recommend doing that, though. 

Starting a new game, I was given two difficulty options: Cakewalk or Hike. Now, I’ve never been a fan of hiking (it hurts my back), and cake is something I will always say yes to, so there’s no prizes for guessing what I went with here. 

Sadly, choosing Cakewalk does mean I won’t get the chance to test the Feat of Glory modifiers that are unlocked by completing he game on Hike difficulty, but let’s face it, I probably wasn’t going to make it that far anyway. Choosing Cakewalk also prevents you from unlocking some achievements, but you do start with a relic or two, which is preferable to this roguelike avoider. 

And so, with my Cakewalk difficulty selected, Varvara chosen as my fighter from the four available options, and my headstart in terms of relics, I jumped in with no idea what I was doing. 

Nothing feels overwhelming (aside from the Lore Corner)

Even for me, with my limited exposure to card games (Pokémon TCG and Magic: The Gathering count here, right?), nothing about Deathless feels hard to understand. I was concerned that the language used on the cards would be confusing and convoluted (a problem I’ve had with MTG in the past), but Deathless tells it like it is, and everything is remarkably straightforward. 

There wasn’t a single card that I saw that left me wondering what it did, which was refreshing to my uninitiated brain. I knew exactly which cards did damage, which ones gave me protection, and all of the buffs and debuffs made perfect sense. It felt like the perfect introduction to this delightful combination of genres and how they mesh together. 

After my first battle, I encountered a strange wizard who was after some kind of Emerald that sounded suspiciously like the Philosopher’s Stone, because he “doesn’t have much time left”. After telling me that it had been lost for a very long time, he then proceeded to tell me exactly where it was and sent me to go find it. I question the logic here, but the story pulled me in, and off I went in search of a life-prolonging green gem. 

I decided to take a hike

After experiencing Cakewalk and feeling a little too invincible, I went looking for trouble and forfeited the game so I could try the Hike difficulty. Apparently, I’m a glutton for punishment, because I also opted to play on Heroic, which prevents you from replaying battles and makes the game end if you quit. It’s probably something you should only pick if you’re in this for the long haul, but I felt like a challenge. 

And… It didn’t feel much different, although I did notice my health gradually going down much faster than it did on Cakewalk. Even choosing the toughest battles in the pick-your-own-adventure-esque menus didn’t feel too daunting, and I found myself wondering… Hang on, am I enjoying this? Yes. I was enjoying a roguelike, and this revelation has me questioning what else I might have missed out on. 

A different perspective on roguelikes

Look, I’ve made this sound like a starter roguelike designed to introduce you to the genre, but that’s not the case. Like I said, there’s a lot to Deathless that likely goes over my head as someone who isn’t overly familiar with the genre. However, I have an ace up my sleeve.

My fiancé is much more familiar with roguelikes in a general sense, so I asked his opinion. Here’s what he said:

While Deathless is very similar to all roguelikes in the “pick a route, go that way until you die” aspect, it also has more heart than many of the genre. The story is engaging, and being a part of a quest makes you feel like you’re at the center of it. There’s something almost Dungeons and Dragons-esque about it, whether it’s the setting or the humorous dialogue between characters, and the art style is gorgeous. 

Deathless is ironically full of death

While playing through my Hike difficulty game, I came to learn the true meaning of pain. Chudo Yudo, a Hydra wearing a full suit of armor and my first boss encounter, proved to be a worthy foe. I tried my best, but it wasn’t enough, and Chudo wiped me from existence and sent me right back to the beginning. Far from being annoyed about it, though, I actually couldn’t wait to get back to it. 

There’s an addictive quality about Deathless that I can’t quite put my finger on, and it keeps me going back for more. I’m not going to say it’s converted me into a fan of roguelikes, but I’m a fan of this roguelike, and that’s a step in either the right or wrong direction, depending on which side of the fence you happen to sit. 

Collectibles a-plenty

If you’re a fan of collecting things, or a bit of a virtual hoarder (or real-life hoarder, there’s no judgment here), then you’re going to love Deathless. There are four sets of cards to collect, relics to discover, a bestiary of enemies to fill out, and endless lore to digest attached to each of those things. It’s almost endless, and there’s something incredibly satisfying about finding all of the unknown things. 

Cards and relics range in rarity from common to legendary, which is pretty much a staple at this point, and each hero has specific relics that can be used. There’s also a merchant from whom you can purchase additional relics and consumables, but you’ll need to actually use them if you don’t want to miss out on those rewarded after winning battles. 

I speak from experience, there. I hoarded my consumables, missed out on a really good one when it was time to pick my rewards, and then stuffed my face with all three in the next battle to make sure it didn’t happen again. Did I mention that I’m not very good at this?

Don’t let my absolute unfamiliarity with the genre make you think this isn’t something for fans of roguelikes in a general sense. There’s an absolute heap of things to love about Deathless, with a story that will suck you in repeatedly and endless possibilities depending on your choices. And if I can love it, then anybody can.