This game is testing me. I can feel it worming its way into my brain. When I'm not playing it, I'm thinking about playing it, running scenarios in my head, planning my future expeditions and the purchases they'll enable. Yet, when I'm playing it, I'm not happy. When I die for the tenth time against a boss, or drop onto some spikes while just shy of having enough gold for an upgrade, I'm filled with a very precise and directed rage. And then it's quick reloads and bitter hate-runs one after another until I meet with some success and manage to calm down. It's less that I'm enjoying myself and more that Rogue Legacy has become a dark compulsion.
As of hour 13, I've beaten two of the four bosses, and fought unsuccessfully against the third. My current theory about beating the bosses is that it is largely a memory challenge, where you try to discern the pattern of their projectile spam and then practice dodging into the gaps of that pattern until you get just good enough to squeak out a victory. It really shouldn't upset me as much as it does, because it's basically just a typical platforming challenge, but for some reason, it does. I think it's because so much of Rogue Legacy's deck is stacked against you that this extra bit of challenge feels unnecessary, like I'm being punished for daring to play the game.
Not to sound all super dramatic or anything. Generally speaking, only games that have some inherent virtue are able to make me angry. And for what it is, Rogue Legacy is about as good as it could be. The controls are near flawless. I've not had a single death occur because my character did something I did not intend for them to do. Even though the graphics are really simple, after 13 hours, I'm not yet bored of them. And when things are going right, and my character is making progress, and I get enough gold that the run doesn't feel like a waste, it really is engrossing.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that you should ignore my grumbling. I'm sure that after this is all over, I'll have fond memories of this game, as the rough edges are worn down by the fuzziness of memory, and the only thing that will remain is the pride of success. But in the meantime . . . grrr!
Are you playing with keyboard or a controller? I didn't own a controller when I started playing and found the skill curve pretty steep. When I bought a controller in the middle, it made the game much easier.
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Now I'm going to be super-embarrassed. I've actually been playing with a controller from the very beginning. My platforming skills may be a bit rusty.
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