It sets an uncomfortable tone when a game’s first screen is dedicated to trophy unlock FAQ because the developers wish to address community feedback. But hey, that’s indie development; not every team is going to have the same resources, and communicating with the audience is appreciated, so you click X to continue anyway.
Only the game doesn’t proceed.
So you hit it again. Same result. You press again, and again, and again. No luck. Fiddling with the sticks? No dice. Other buttons. Nope. Waiting a bit longer? Nothing. All the while there’s an animated loading icon in the bottom right corner, but the game never deigns to let you enter.
Given your limited options, you decide to close the game. Enter again, and you’re met with the same issue. You press buttons, wiggle sticks, but once again, you can’t actually play.
At this point, you’re mildly amused, so you pull out the stopwatch on your phone, wondering if you just have to wait it out. It might be loading? Maybe? A hidden install perhaps?
You stop it after ten minutes. There are limits to your morbid curiosity.
Exit again. Enter again. Voilà! The main menu pops up. Now you can play.
Not the most auspicious of starts for God of Weapons, developed by Archmage, a small outfit from Vietnam. Once inside, you’ll be met with a familiar roguelike gameplay loop; choose from a variety of playable heroes (each with their own stat discrepancies) and ascend the tower of Zhor, massacring enemies on each level.
The titular weapons prove to be the most interesting part of the experience. After clearing a floor of the tower, you’ll be able to spend any money earned on swords, crossbows, magic staffs, and more, adding to your arsenal. The amount you’re able to carry is limited by your inventory space though, forcing you to rearrange items or potentially leave them behind.
Thankfully, you’re granted additional carrying capacity each time you level up, allowing you more flexibility within your character build. You can also fuse multiple of the same weapon into one stronger version, and the placement of items within your inventory may activate bonus effects. This micromanagement scratches the same itch as Resident Evil 4’s iconic briefcase, taking a beloved mechanic and attaching it with meaningful gameplay effects so as to encourage experimentation. It’s great fun, and I found myself spending way too much time fiddling with the inventory in the hopes of squeezing just a few more items in.
Outside of arsenal tetris, God of Weapons stumbles quite a bit. Much like Achilles: Survivor, your character autoattacks, meaning actual minute-to-minute gameplay involves simply moving around the arena and executing a dodge if need be. It’s not very engaging, and it feels like the developers could have found more ways for players to influence the actual dungeon-crawling. Each tower floor is completed after surviving for a minute or so, meaning you’ll quickly be thrown back into the significantly more stimulating inventory management, though it’s disappointing that I’m so eager to escape direct control of my character.
Resources acquired from runs can be used to buy access to more weapons, adding them to the pool you can purchase during your runs. These enhanced items will allow you to conquer harder difficulties, which come replete with fiercer enemies and bosses. Completing objectives grants you new characters to choose from, which can help tailor your run strategy to a certain playstyle. Archmage should be commended for having such a wealth of unlockables, and it certainly kept me coming back despite my other misgivings.
God of Weapons is a bipolar experience. On one end, you have a fantastic inventory management system that asks you to make tough decisions while building out your character’s kit. On the other, you have lackluster gameplay that’s only exciting if you enjoy watching damage numbers grow larger. These ideas fail to coalesce into a singular vision, ultimately making the project feel like a missed opportunity.
