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| #17 | 20 Minutes Till Dawn |
|---|---|
| guessed by | no one |
| platform | Windows |
| release year | 2022 |
| developer/publisher | flanne |
| genre | action, shooter |
I am always amazed how single developers can make games that hold up just fine in the influx of AAA. And now I have to add flanne to the list of these miracle devs. He made a game that gave me a lot of fun over the year.
In a way it is a development based on another such games, Vampire Survivors, initially also authored by just one person. But I think it evolves and refines the formula enough to justify to stand on it's own, even surpasses Vampire Survivors in my list.
The main difference to Vapire Survivors presents itself from the start: it is a shooter, your starter weapon is a gun (you can choose from a list) and you actively aim and shoot at the enemies. Many of the upgrades provide automatic weapons like in Vampire Survivors, but a lot of these upgrades are also in regards to the shooting function. Either way you are much more active in gameplay.
As with Vampire Survivors an important part of your game is choosing good upgrades to survive increasingly difficult waves of enemies. These upgrades offer a lot of synergies, so the right combination of upgrades is key to survival. And I mean it, your build can vary a lot and depending on your early decisions it makes some upgrades stronger or weaker.
Let's take for instance number of bullets for each gun. If you empty your gun, it has to be reloaded which let's you not shoot for an amount of time. This is a clear downside. But now come upgrades into play that trigger on reload. And these upgrades can be very powerful. Suddenly guns that hold only a limited number of bullets pose an advantage and so do upgrades that as a side effect reduce this number.
There are also synergy upgrades that are only available if you invested in a certain combination of upgrades. The different characters also add their spin. They have different abilities that may synergize with certain upgrades. The characters also can have a second attack that may play well with your choices. And runes are the passive progression tree that allows you to strengthen your character, but you have to choose from different abilities (unlike Vampire Survivors there you just max everything).
All this makes the build you choose an important decision and defines your gameplay. This means as a result, that choosing different builds in different runs changes up your experience and provides you with new possibilities.
Add to that an amazing art style in black, white and red and a good soundtrack, and you get a very addictive and fun experience. You should give this game a try, especially if you like Vampire Survivors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzht7wX549c
