Ovis Loop is the next in a long line of roguelike platform combat games that plays and feels similar to Dead Cells, but it does enough differently that it manages to set itself apart among that crowded pack. Currently out on Steam Early Access, the game was developed by LIFUEL and has a decent amount of content, all bundled snugly together within the fluffy and deceivingly innocent Omega, a ship who’s the last of its kind in a world dominated by wolves.
First off, it’s worth pointing out the play on words with the name of the game, as Ovis is the latin word for sheep, while lupus is the word for wolf, but also its pronunciation lands on the very core concept of Ovis Loop. It’s a game you’ll infinitely play as it loops back to the beginning every time you die. And you’ll do plenty of that since the overall challenge level is challenging enough to make even the most proficient players in roguelikes sweat quite a bit.
Graphically, it’s quite easily one of the best looking pixelated games you’ll play. Characters are super detailed while at the same time retaining a retro feel thanks to the visible pixels and exaggerated proportions and colors; its gameplay does betray it as a modern game, though, as it checks all the boxes of one of those. You can roll dodge out of the way of attacks, charge up and unleash your own, and there are a number of possible powerups and skills you can collect along the way that make each run feel fresh.
Combos are also a neat little twist to Ovis Loop as they radically change and are malleable enough to make your choices really matter when it comes to picking both active and passive skills. Whenever you defeat enemies, you’ll pick up a number of the game’s currency that can be used to directly buy them or gamble away at random and sometimes broken (in a good sense) ones that add an extra dose of spice to your step.
In terms of structure, it borrows from the Slay the Spire way of design that puts you in a map that splits along the way, forcing you to pick one of a few possible paths, each containing a different obstacle or benefit that you have to carefully pick from before moving on. Everything moves so quickly that I didn’t spend too much time thinking about what was being left behind, and since death isn’t really an impediment in the grand scheme of things, it ended up being the opposite of the norm with these games with me. That’s because of the lightning fast progression with how easy it is to get back to a powerful state for Omega.
This one is also a game with a story that’s slowly developed in between runs. Whenever you die, you get brought back to your HQ, where recordings and letters serve as a delivery method to Ovis Loop’s backstory. From the bit that was played, there’s some good sci-fi to be had as the dark world of the game is explored, showing off Omega’s origins and the whole conspiracy behind the dominating presence of the wolves.
I was positively surprised with what there’s on offer with Ovis Loop even as an Early Access title, much like I was with The Rogue Prince of Persia, which just recently left the program and is just as excellent as it was last time I played it for coverage. This is definitely a game you should keep an eye on as it’s often updated and has since garnered quite a following since its debut on the 14th.
