Warden’s Will – Fun Roguelite Game That Reminds of Risk of Rain

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• DEVELOPER: ELYZIO
• PUBLISHER: ELYZIO
• PLATFORMS: PC
• GENRE: Shooter / Roguelite
• RELEASE DATE: January 8, 2024
• LAUNCH PRICE: 14.99€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

It’s sometimes difficult to understand why developers avoid using the Early Access tag, which is precisely something that would clearly benefit Warden’s Will. This is a movement-focused roguelite shooter, strongly inspired by Risk of Rain 2, but nowhere near as polished. Still, the game is fun for the first five hours. After that, it starts to feel repetitive. Although it shows flashes of potential, it struggles to stand out and lacks the variety characteristic of its inspirations.

That doesn’t mean it’s a bad game. At its core, Warden’s Will sticks to the familiar formula: spawn into a level, defeat enemies to earn currency, pick up power-ups (called augments), and prepare for tougher battles. The game introduces a few fresh ideas early on, but you need to be aware of its limitations, especially the disappointing roguelite progression. It’s not bad, but it’s not impressive either. To upgrade, you must find pillars, spend in-game currency, and choose one of three offered augments. These come in different rarities, from common to legendary.

Highly Repetitive Gameplay with Little Variety

The biggest issue lies in the permanent augmentations. They are not very good and offer only minor stat boosts that barely impact the gameplay. For example, you have two skills and two ways to shoot enemies, and the augments can improve those abilities. You can, for instance, unlock a permanent upgrade that allows you to set enemies on fire while shooting your weapon. It’s useful at first, but as you continue to upgrade, it becomes weak and not worth the effort.

Most of the in-game augments only offer basic statistical increases, while only a handful bring interesting effects like firing projectiles. The small number of available items makes playthroughs repetitive once you’ve seen most of what’s on offer. Additionally, the system isn’t well-explained, so it’s often unclear whether certain upgrades are even worth using.

The nature of Warden’s Will, which relies on constant grinding, feels more like a tedious chore than a reward, largely because enemies have too much health, unnecessarily dragging out the fights. On the positive side, the game’s combat focuses on mobility and evasion, and that aspect is excellently executed. You can smoothly move through enemy attacks using fluid mechanics like flying and dodging. However, the boss fights, while exciting initially, quickly become predictable and lack the randomness or spectacle to make them memorable. They are relatively easy to beat, and although the idea of bosses appearing during levels is creative, the execution fell short.

The First Three Hours are Fun, But the Game Won’t Hold You Later On

To finish a level, you must charge three transmitters to progress. This mechanic, obviously inspired by Risk of Rain 2‘s Pillars, requires standing in specific areas while fighting waves of enemies. This slows down the pace of the game and becomes repetitive after just a few runs. I expected more variety in objectives, but the game offers very little. On the other hand, exploring the large maps is enjoyable. Each map features items like chests, healing crystals, shield crystals, and Stamina (used for flying). I particularly enjoyed flying around the map, discovering new biomes and hard-to-reach places.

Warden’s Will makes a strong first impression, but the more you play, the more you feel it lacks content. The game features eight weapons and four classes to unlock, each unique and purchasable with the in-game currency. Generally, engaging with optional content during a run allows you to unlock one item or class within one or two attempts, which is a nice feature.

The shooting in Warden’s Will is simple but with an interesting twist. The game features a “hot and cold” mechanic for its two firing modes. Using the left mouse button fires small bullets, but if you use it too much, your weapon overheats. To cool it down, you must switch to the right mouse button, which also allows you to continue shooting while managing the heat. The idea is clever, but it could have been executed much better if the augmentations offered more significant or creative enhancements to this system.

Final Thoughts

Although this title offers a multiplayer option, it practically doesn’t exist because there are no online servers; everything runs via your own server, meaning you can only play multiplayer with those on your Steam friends list. It’s unclear to me why this feature was introduced at all, as I’m sure that online multiplayer would be significantly more fun, which would greatly enrich the entire gameplay experience, given that playing solo is considerably more difficult.

Visually, Warden’s Will uses a nice comic book style. The characters and enemies are detailed and attractive, but their polished designs don’t match the simpler environments. On the other hand, the music in the game is excellent, combining atmospheric tracks with EDM during action moments. Conversely, some enemies, like the flying robotic spiders, can be particularly frustrating because they restrict your movement and make certain fights extremely unpleasant.

In conclusion, Warden’s Will is a game that quickly draws you in with its promising mechanics, but its long-term replay value is questionable. The content is limited, and the augmentations and bosses quickly become repetitive. The ideas in the game are solid, but the execution leaves much room for improvement. If you decide to buy this game, be aware of its limitations. Nevertheless, it still provides an enjoyable experience that can offer a few hours of fun, though it won’t leave a lasting impression.

Review copy provided by the publisher