Review: Tangledeep (Nintendo Switch)

For hundreds of years, people have lived in the safety of underground settlements and villages – where the only route to the surface is “Tangledeep,” a mysterious and ever-changing labyrinth. With memories of the surface world long forgotten, you set out for the labyrinth to discover what lies above. With each floor – full of magical beasts, ancient automatons, bizarre environments and hybrid biomes – the mystery grows ever deeper…

Pros:

• Tangledeep has cutesy pixel graphics.
• 663MB Download size.
• Four save slots.
• Tutorial popups and an optional tutorial cave encounter.
• Options- Text size/speed/scanlines/grids.
• Three modes (game affecting difficulty)- Heroic/Adventure/Hardcore.
• Heroic mode- Death is permanent but you keep town progress and any banked goods for your next run.
• Adventure mode- Death sends you to town and you lose half of all money, EXP and any unspent JP.
• Hardcore- Permadeath and you lose everything.
• 12 total characters.
• 9 Jobs- Brigand/Spellshaper/Edge Thane/Floramanger/Sword Dancer/Soulkeeper/Paladin/Budoka and Hunter.
• Tangledeep has touchscreen support.
• Feats- Add permanent bonuses/attributes. You get to pick two to start.
• Game modifiers (optional)- Extra health/less loot/stronger enemies etc.
• Roguelike RPG gameplay.
• Randomized world seed.
• Movement- Move a set number of squares, Hold down the button to move faster.
• Bank- Pay to save items for future playthroughs. (in-game cash)
• Turn-based combat/movement. Enemies move/attack when you do.
• Map- 3 views- Small/large and large transparent.
• Map unlocks as you discover it.
• Text feed of all actions.
• Recipes for crafting- Quick select options.
• Terrain effects movement/abilities and magic.
• Tangledeep is really stylish.
• Auto-equip better weapons.
• Clear easy to use HUD/UI.
• Difficult.
• Tangledeep has a real SNES feel to it all.
• Earn EXP and level up to increase stats and earn JP to get new feats and abilities.
• Secret areas and routes.
• Optional side quests.
• Fast travel.
• Save and quit.
• Pets- capture and tame animals and have them by your side. You can level them up and have them do actions for you.
• Supports d-pad and analog.
• Flasks- Heal and can be refilled at fountains.
• Fast loading.
• Approachable.

Cons:

• Hard to see the treasure.
• A small health bar.
• Slight learning curve.
• Difficult.
• Not always clear what to do or what does what.
• Menu navigation can be tricky.
• A lot to take in initially.
• A lot of back and forth.
• The view can easily be obscured.