Review: Ironcast (Steam)

Puzzlequest meets FTL in this Steam punk Victorian era roguelite.

Pros:

• Steam punk inspired graphics that look so detailed and really pop off the screen.
• Tutorial section. Can also be turned off, skipped and re done.
• Resolution settings.
• Controls are all done off the mouse but the keyboard can be used for shortcuts if you like.
• Mech battling match 3 rogue-like game play.
• Rogue-like as in once you die you start again a fresh.
• Global unlock does keep your exp and here is where you unlock new characters, Ironcasts and abilities.
• Handful of characters to choose from each with a unique skill.
• Handful of Ironcasts to choose from each with different stats and weapons.
• Bite sized levels.
• Unlock/find blueprints to build new parts for your Ironcast.
• Buy/craft new guns/shields and buffs to add to existing weapons.
• Buffs are available for weapons and players and your Ironcast.
• Every time you level up you get a choice of 3 upgrades.
• Earn scrap and gold in game to buy/craft and repair weapons and your Ironcast.
• Map of England is where you pick levels to play.
• Mission difficulty and turn limit differ on each mission.
• Boss fights.
• Four bars represent parts of your Ironcast and must be filled up by matching the gems in order to use them. For example to repair you need to match a minimum of three spanner icons, Guns need ammo so match the ammo gems etc.
• Modifiers or special gems appear and can greatly improve your performance. Overcharge lets you do a more powerful attack whilst link allows you to match two or even three different gems in one string.
• Turn based combat. You get three moves then your opponent goes.
• Can skip cut scenes/conversations.
• Can highlight and attack specific parts of the enemy.
• Steam Achievements.
• Excellent vintage Victorian soundtrack with a Steam punk twist.
• You connect gems by drawing a line through them and the need to be adjacent to each other. Any line you draw will put a pop up on screen showing how much exp and resources you will acquire form this move.
• Excellent presentation.
• Clear easy to use interface across all aspects of the game.
• On your go you can have 3 goes at matching gems, repair weapons/Ironcast, fire off any special abilities and even add a shield or put your Ironcast into walk mode.
• Aside from abilities you always have the option to add a shield to take the edge off any attacks. Put your Ironcast into walk mode and it makes it a harder target. Both of these abilities have a 3 dot power rating. The higher the rating the better they will be. Also when attacked the power will decrease.
• Very addictive.
• Easy to play hard to master.

Cons:

• No controller support.
• Difficulty spikes.
• Cost to repair is high so buying new weapons and upgrades is slow.
• No multiplayer.
• Light on video settings.
• Text is a bit small in places.
• No real customization options for your Ironcast.
• Needs a decent compare function especially when buying blue prints.
• No undo button.

In Summary, This game surprised me in so many ways. It was so easy to get into and really hard to put down. The game play is nothing new but it is fun and easy to learn. The global unlock keeps you coming back for more as you get more and more unlocks. I especially like how the missions change every time so it never out stays its welcome or becomes repetitive. Its one of those games that you can just put on a and relax with, Yes it gets challenging but you are always in complete control of your game and you select where to go and what to do. This game has all the potential to be a huge hit and is worth all the praise it will ultimately get. In short it is the awesome.