Indies' Lies Preview

Indies’ Lies is a roguelike deck builder game that adds some interesting mechanics, such as being able to recruit characters into your party. Everyone that you can bring into your team have their own cards and strengths; every time you meet them they’ll have randomised traits, and some of them are incredibly helpful.

In fact, everything is very useful in this game — a bit too much, as some of the Steam reviews available say. And, although the game can be a bit easy, there are difficulty levels to choose from in case you’d like to toughen up the challenge. Those who are adept at roguelike deck builders might benefit from jumping straight into a harder difficulty, as the game does an excellent job at explaining everything. That being said, however, I would like to warn those that aren’t into games on the easier side that Indies’ Lies might not be challenging enough, as long as you pay attention. That’s not to say I didn’t die though, as on my first run I chose a curse and bit off more than I could chew on the path I took — three bosses on the way to the final one. It was a bit much and I, unfortunately, got to see the death screen.

That is one thing that the reviews seem to fail to mention — the game doesn’t force you to choose the better options. And although it feels a bit odd to not go for the strongest card, there’s nothing forcing you to even take any. Indies’ Lies gives the player control by giving out all the information. The map shows you all the roads you can take and what they have on them, including the bosses, enemies, and shops; the events you get do not hide from you what you’ll get from the choices they offer; and the game never forces you to take anything at all. If you want to sell all your items (like potions, buffs, damage, etc) you can, if you want to take a card you can, if not you don’t have to. The game can be as easy or difficult as you let it be.

That leads me to what I believe is perhaps one of Indies’ Lies biggest strengths: it’s a great first-time roguelike deck builder for anyone that is interested in the genre. It’s very easy to take the game at the pace you choose. Not only that, but the game does a marvellous job with the informative UI. The enemy buffs and debuffs are readily available, as well as what type of damage they do. In one of the boss fight, the game not only let me know that the boss’ attacks would change according to how many minions were alive, but also how he was going to hit, how much damage he was going to do, and to whom. Additionally, all of the new mechanics it adds, such as the positioning of the characters, the new recruiting system, and even the forge are all explained well enough to understand on the first encounter with them.

Lastly, one of the things I liked the most was how the combat felt very combo-friendly. A lot of the cards work well with each other, and if you happen to get a good synergy going, it’s really fun to barrage the enemy with a well-coordinated attack.

All in all, I definitely plan to continue playing Indies’ Lies and exploring what else the game will offer as it continues to develop. I strongly suggest that anyone interested in this genre try this one first, as it truly is one of the most accessible ones.