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When you think about Action-RPGs and what you expect of them the list is generally fairly
small. Oodles of monsters with maybe a boss or two sprinkled in; silly spells or attacks
to crush them all; and maybe an item drop to push those easily manipulated brain cells
in to playing a little longer. What you shouldn't need to include on the list is: being able
to move around; being able to attack enemies; and being able to upgrade your skills. The
Relic by Clickgamer and Axolotl Studios has seemingly missed this memo and while there's
an appeal to mindlessly attacking enemies, it's only lasts for a short time.
The controls try to make life easier for players by incorporating automatic enemy targeting
and to a lesser degree, automatic movement, streamlining the process of killing various
monsters. Initially the virtual stick and button setup performs admirably, however once
you reach packs of enemies that can form a semi-circle around your character the experience
shifts gears to something far less appealing as you electric-slide your way through monsters
while being jostled back and forth as your auto-target fights against your movements
controls, all but removing any input you have on what's happening. Attacking comes in the
form of bland melee and magic buttons that can be spammed freely, taking away any sense
of skill in the process of dispatching enemies as well.
Various items including gold, souls and potions can drop from enemies and serve to keep you
upright for just a little bit longer, but upgrading your skills is often limited to
finding shops or completing levels to spend the 'kills' you've accumulated. This obviously
encourages blindly fighting large mobs, which is also obliged by the game's constantly spawning
packs of enemies in areas you've cleared out, but this also discourages exploration as you
come to loathe the sight of enemies and their bizarre AI. Most enemies do prefer to fight
close-up, but should you encounter a ranged enemy you'll find yourself chasing them from
corner to corner as they endlessly run away, taking minimal damage unless you happen to
break their pathing by trapping them in a corner and staying still.
What should be a simple hack and slash experience is rendered almost painful by the lack of
polish in almost every aspect of the gameplay in The Relic. The few good points that remain
such as the interesting artwork (especially the 2D cutscene work) are overwhelmingly crushed
by the frustrating game that surrounds it. Until an update addresses some of the basic
concerns it's recommended that you keep your distance from this title.