It seems I’m something of a sucker for a good indie dev story. So when I came across this post on /r/IndieGaming I figured why not give it a shot; the dev had put considerable effort into making the game they wanted to make (even insofar as to put it down and work on other things so they could become a better dev) and even though it took 9 years they got there. Plus it seems that I’ve developed something of a taste for Roguelikes of late, the tantalising possibility of finding broken combinations to completely wreck face being something that I truly enjoy. Seoul Exorcist 1111 accomplishes much but there’s still a ways to go before this is a fully realised experience with so much about how/what/when/where of the game left up to the player to discover.
The tagline everyone seems to be using is that this is an anime version of Shogun Showdown which, having not played it, I have no idea how true that line runs. What I can tell you is it’s a turn based combat strategy game with what the kids are calling “deckbuilding” mechanics in it which I take as shorthand for random ability drafting. There’s a number of map tiles that you’ll have to defeat in order to unlock the boss fight, with each map tile requiring you to defeat 100 enemies in 7 minutes or you’ll get wiped out by the boss of that area, putting you right back at the start. There are some permanent upgrades you can buy which basically let you unlock specific abilities from the get go without having to draft them. There’s 4 different characters each with 8 abilities of which only 4 you’ll be able to have active at any one time. Each character has its own set of unique abilities which change the way they play, even if all the abilities are just slight tweaks on each other. Suffice to say that mechanically it’s pretty well realised, it’s in the other aspects where the game starts to falter.
The pixel art graphics are top notch though, staying more true to the retro aesthetic than most modern interpretations do. Animations are slick even with their low frame rate and despite most of the enemies feeling rather generic they all at least have a very distinct visual feel to them. The blend of anime, fantasy and cyberpunk aesthetics comes together well, sidestepping the usual visual mess that comes when artists get a little bit too excited about the crossover of different art styles.
Whilst Seoul Exorcist 1111 gives you the basics of gameplay through a brief tutorial some of the other parts are left for you to to discover. For instance it’s not mentioned that your soul count, I.E. the currency that you use in the shop you get access to during a level, carries across and is the means by which you’ll unlock abilities to have right at the start. What’s not mentioned about that though is that you still have to “unlock” that ability in a draft, so whilst you do get access to it at level 1 you still need to unlock level 1 again (I.E. you don’t get an upgrade on your first draw) which makes it somewhat moot to unlock it in the first place. To be sure, it’s nice to have your crutch ability available to you right at the start. but given you have only 8 abilities and you’ll draw 3 each time chances are good that within 2 levels you’ll have what you want and it’s (statistically) guaranteed at 3.
The game also doesn’t mention that the playing field will shift every so often and the final tiles, whilst not forbidden, will damage you if you stay on them long enough. Whilst this is something you’ll probably notice relatively quickly after a few levels it does make the first few playthroughs a little bit more rough than they ought to be as it can feel like you don’t have a grasp on what’s actually happening. Once you know though it’s somewhat easy to figure out that the best strategy is to keep your back as close to one side of the map as you can as enemies typically don’t spawn right behind you. With that in your pocket you now don’t need to waste turns (and potentially items) on turning your character around every other round.
The most viable builds I found were ranged based ones as you could plant yourself in a corner and spam abilities away to remove most enemies without too much trouble. 2 of the characters have a single target ranged stun which, combined with a few upgrades to your energy charging ability, means you can stunlock basically anyone. Buying a good stock of defense medals and remedies also means you take a very small amount of damage which only needs healing every so often. With all of that in order you don’t need to spend any more souls and can usually net a few thousand on any run.
I’m also not quite sure what the endgame is here as the game tells you that you can “permanently” unlock an area by clearing it 3 times but, once you clear it, you can’t play it again. I did one full clear and it seemed like all the areas were fully unlocked again, no progress was recorded. I’m sure there was likely a different boss waiting for me but honestly, with the gameplay basically not changing at all even with different characters (although the forth unlock is pretty fun, I will admit) I just decided I’d seen everything the game had to offer.
Seoul Exorcist 1111 is a bit of a mixed bag then. On the one hand the pixel art graphics and core mechanics are solid showing that a lot of care and attention have been paid to it. On the other though the rest of the game seems somewhat unfinished with the permanent unlocks not really being worth it, the shown overworld mechanics not really working and the story being so light on I didn’t even bother to mention it before now. All this being said nothing about these issues are terminal, they can easily be addressed in updates, but until the whole game experience is a bit more refined Seoul Exorcist 1111 will feel like a first draft: almost there, but more work needed.
Rating: 6.5/10
Seoul Exorcist 111 is available on PC right now for $26.50. Total playtime was 3 hours.
