The Serpent Rogue Archives – Xbox One Mag

The Serpent Rogue is one of those intriguing, not to say amazing, games that grab you immediately, from the very first moment. The dark universe, the mysterious character you control and all the questions you ask yourself about yourself lead you into an original and unique adventure which is however not within everyone’s reach.

What is going on ? This is probably the first question that crosses your mind when The Serpent Rogue launches. Surrounded by a zone of darkness, you take control of your character whose appearance reminds us of that of a plague doctor, weaving between different attacks of corruption, until you are teleported into a world victim of this curse. You then spend the first minutes of the game exploring the places in which you find yourself, picking up all possible and imaginable objects until you understand that your pockets are full. An observation that will therefore force you to make choices… and that will make you understand that, in The Serpent Rogue, you have to learn to manage.

It is also at this level that the title published by Team 17 is difficult. Before embarking on the proposed experience, you must know where you are going to set foot. Because in The Serpent Rogue, there are a lot of things to manage: the stamina gauge which decreases over time and which, once emptied, prevents the player from performing certain actions. Hunger which must be taken into account and which must be alleviated by cooking and eating. And, of course, the life point gauge which, although it regenerates over the seconds, tends to drop drastically at the slightest fight. In short, a survival aspect that should not be overlooked, especially since the developers have chosen to leave the player alone, faced with his difficulties. Indeed, like a certain Tunic, The Serpent Rogue does not take you by the hand. It takes you to a world overrun with corruption and leaves you there, helpless (or almost). It’s up to you to scavenge and unearth the ingredients, solve the puzzles and progress as best you can in the adventure to purify the land.

On the side of the scenario, the game follows through the writings that you find according to your research, but also thanks to the clues left here and there in the different areas to go through. The hero, mute for the occasion, meets practically no interlocutor. An operation there also close to Tunic which makes that one tends to keep a certain distance compared to the events which take place. An aspect that can leave on the floor the players who would have liked to better understand the ins and outs of this world in which they are parachuted with brutality.

In terms of gameplay, The Serpent Rogue pulls out of the game with its potion system. Indeed, during your research, the player has the opportunity to collect a large number of ingredients. The latter, once studied, then allow you to craft different potions with more original effects than each other: transform into a creature, make a familiar appear next to it so that it carries an object, fight or make the corruption… We obviously find the great classics such as healing and damage potions, but it is certainly the first mentioned that will hold our attention. Small pleasure (guilty) of the game: the mixture of ingredients to make a potion is such that changing a single component allows you to create something different. An intelligent and interesting system that will encourage the most curious players to try all imaginable experiments to discover the different possibilities imagined by the developers.

At the heart of the game and the gameplay, potions, although important, are not the only weapons available to the player. For those looking for a more “traditional” experience, it is possible to equip and improve weapons (swords, axes, etc.). The game then takes a more classic turn with basic gameplay: hitting, avoiding and protecting yourself. Small flat at this level however, the game shows a lack of responsiveness to attacks and to our character which means that we are unable to protect ourselves in the right timing. We get used to it, but it’s disturbing during the first clashes.

Visually, The Serpent Rogue is a real success. Although very dark, the universe is full of small details. The artistic direction meanwhile hits the mark from our very first steps. The game has a little “cartoon” side that is charming and looks particularly good. This is undeniably one of the positive points of this extraordinary title which, due to its singular appearance, stands out quite well from other productions. Finally, the sound aspect, very neat, offers background music that fits perfectly with the adventure. They are fun to listen to and hear, which helps make the world more immersive.

As long as we know what to expect and know the initial proposal, The Serpent Rogue turns out to be an original, intelligent and frankly successful experience. Its potions system and all the possibilities that result from it, as well as its dark but enchanting universe, are all good reasons to immerse yourself in the title published by Team 17. A title that will not leave the brave and curious player indifferent and which, in the end, is a great surprise.