A straight-to-the-point simple roguelike, Royal Frontier cuts out all unnecessary details, uses a charmingly simple 2D sprite-based visual theme, and focuses on one thing and one thing only – the combat. If you enjoyed the timed button presses of Super Mario RPG, then Royal Frontier is the rogue you should play.
Choosing a team of three characters with different strengths and weaknesses, Royal Frontier seems like you are preparing for a trip on the Oregon Trail. Instead, the player simply selects from one of three paths from a basic menu, stopping on each tile along the way. Most tiles involve combat but sometimes the player will be presented with a choice, can sleep for the night to restore health/magic, or enter a shop to spend gold for new equipment. This is a rogue so death means restarting from the beginning and each run is different.
If you have been following my work, especially over the last couple years, you would have noticed that I have been bashing the rogue genre as it seems it is the only type of game that gets released these days. However, I am making an exception for Royal Frontier due to its simplicity and approachable design. Other than pressing a button on the overworld menu, the meat of the gameplay comes from each combat scenario. Using timed button presses, the player can increase attack strength or decrease incoming damage by hitting the face button at the correct time, just like Nintendo’s popular RPG franchise. Success ultimately comes down to nailing each encounter with the right timing and preparing properly. Death is pretty much guaranteed but each following run has the potential to be a little better/different than the last as players can often unlock new playable characters or starting perks.
I really appreciate the simple design. From the visuals, to the soundtrack, to the menu selection, to the player choice, to the combat, everything here is streamlined and approachable. There are no complicated scenarios to debunk, no master plans to unfold, and no deep secrets to uncover. Nope. Just pick a lane, time your button presses, and hope to stay alive long enough to unlock something new for the next run. Battles only last a minute or two so the pacing is excellent too. This is a roguelike for beginners but there is no reason die-hard players will not enjoy the stupidly basic and highly entertaining design.
Also Try: Slay The Spire
Don’t Forget About: Unhatched – Puzzle Adventure Card Game
Way Less Complicated Than: Wingspan
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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Rating
Our Rating - 8
8
Total Score
A very simple, approachable roguelite that strongly emphasizes Mario RPG-style (timed button presses) combat.
Editor in Chief - been writing for mygamer,com for 20+ years. Gaming enthusiast. Hater of pants. Publisher of obscure gaming content on my YT channel.
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