Spiritfall Review

Spiritfall is a roguelite platform fighter developed by Gentle Giant. Released in Early Access in April of last year, it came on… wait, the 28th of February!? Oh, we got to this late but it’s better late than never, I guess. So let’s check this game out.

The story is that the world is… not doing so great at the moment. There’s some sort of blight overtaking it, with monsters taking over the place and corrupting some individuals into nigh unkillable warriors, all led by some group who wishes to ensure that blight stays. The spirits that are supposed to watch over the land have been depowered, unable to act themselves. However, not all hope is lost. They have chosen a warrior and granted them a mask that turns them into the Omenforged (that’s you) to bring balance to the world by restoring their power and unsealing the Great Gate. It’s a pretty good setup, and there is quite a bit of lore here to pour over here if you take the time to read the item description, but it is kind of generic.

I really liked the art style and the animation. All the enemies you face are expressive while also easily readable, so whatever damage you take is your fault, but all the attacks you pull off look and feel great to do, flowing into one another very easily. However, I barely noticed or remembered the music. Maybe I was just too focused on playing, but there wasn’t anything that stuck out to me personally.

Onto the gameplay. The controls are quite simple, only needing a button and a directional input to pull off attacks. You can attack, launch enemies, fire off a bolt, dash, and execute a special move once you get one in your run. All pretty standard stuff that might be familiar to you. However, they won’t be enough to deal with all the enemies in your path. Luckily, as an Omenforged, you’re being backed by the seven Spirits, who will grant you various buffs and enhancements on your journey. There are over 150 blessings to play with, and none of them feel underpowered. They’re all useful in some capacity, and there are definitely some OP synergies you can get if you’re lucky enough. Of course, getting yourself killed or completing a run resets your character back to basics.

There are also a variety of weapons to choose between, from hammer-axes and dual blades to bows and scythes that are also a bo staff. Each weapon plays drastically differently from one another. There are even unlockable second forms for every weapon that further changes its playstyle, so if you don’t like its base form, maybe the alternate form will change your mind. You effectively have 10 weapons to play with, and each one is fun to use in its own way.

Despite not being the greatest fighting game player, I was pulling off insane combos I didn’t know I had in me, and I was getting better with every run outside of upgrading skills. I was practically playing Devil May Cry sometimes and even managed to batter a boss from full to zero in one combo. If that’s not satisfying, I don’t know what is.

Next up is progression and how you’ll actually beat the game. You’ll be travelling along a map with various rewards, shops, and paths up to the boss fight in the end. Almost every space is a fight, but beating it will grant you a reward, like a blessing from one of the spirits.

A special mention goes to the hidden rifts. These appear from time to time while you travel along the map, usually at a crossroads with two choices of rewards. Instead of a usual mob battle, you'll be fighting against a single opponent where you have to knock them off the stage three times before the timer runs out. Complete the rift, and you get both rewards, but these can be quite tough, and you might take huge chunks of health off you, so it's quite the risk but well worth it if you're good enough. It's quite obvious that Spiritfall wears its inspirations on its sleeves, but it makes it more fun in this case.

Now let’s talk about what makes it a roguelite instead of a roguelike: permanent upgrades. Between your runs, you’ll be spending time in the Sanctum, where you can use the resources you collected to make your next outing a little easier. I really liked the pacing of upgrades, as you’re always going to come back with something, and all the unlocks don’t need too much grinding to get, having some relatively low requirements. There’s so much to upgrade too. You can improve weapons, get new skills, enhance masks that have their own special abilities, and even add a few new things in areas. It’s all great, except that you can't seem to reset anything. Whatever you choose, you’re stuck with it. It’s a little unfortunate as I did have some decisions I wanted to take back, but I got over it soon enough. There are also quite a few cosmetics to unlock, too, and at the time of writing, more were added in an update. I really enjoyed the progression here… with a caveat to take with a grain of salt first.

A funny thing happened when I started a fresh save, though. I got 11 achievements in the first second. Since achievements reward you with resources to upgrade your character, I got a head start that I didn't deserve. I’m not complaining, it did help get this review done a little faster, but that probably should be fixed. Other than that, though, I didn’t encounter any glitches or anything to really break me out of the flow. The game also ran perfectly well, I didn’t even need to glance at the settings.

So, in summary… Go get Spiritfall. I’m flat-out telling you to because it’s just that good. Even if you aren’t familiar with its inspirations, it is definitely good enough to stand on its own. The full story completion needs five runs, but that’s not as big a problem as you will eventually do because this game is just that fun. I… might be exaggerating, but I’m writing this part after beating Spiritfall for the first time, so the excitement hasn’t faded yet. And guess what? There’s still more to come, adding more content like a Boss Rush mode and even more choices of enchantments to choose from. This is a game worth your time, mixing in familiar concepts and making them greater.