2 Min Review of He Is Coming

He Is Coming is a classic-feeling Roguelike game with modern sensibilities including short run lengths and sleek design.

The visuals of this game match the modern retro vibe of the game.

Battle Screen

Core Loop of the game
In the game you start in the center of a map and move around in search of battles to earn coins, chests to pick up gear, merchants to buy higher value gear, and other points of interest.

Each step along the journey takes up one tick on the 3 day timeline which ends with a boss fight.

As you move through the world, there are chest and other points of interest that let you pick up gear to power up your hero. Chests generally contain basic gear, but there are other points of interest that have better items and can impart various boosts to your hero and gear.

At night, you can't see as far and enemies actively move after you each turn, but there are fires that can end the night and replenish your HP.

After you get a hang of the battle system, you can turn regular battles to resolve instantly and at that point you realize that enemies are basically just useful to farm coins, as they generally don't do much damage and you don't earn XP from battles.

But battling does earn you coins, which lets you purchase expensive items from the various merchants walking around the world.

Boss Battles

Every move you take slowly builds towards the penultimate boss battle after 3 nights.

Bosses have different stats and special abilities, so that planning your build to counter the next boss is the core activity for the 3 days leading up to the next boss fight.

For example, this boss has a low attack as long as the player has armor remaining, so it would be a good idea to have a high base armor and have at least one armor regeneration item equipped.

And after completing a boss battle, the player unlocks more slots to equip more gear.

To win a run, the player needs to defeat 5 bosses.

Overview

The streamlined battle system, focused around crafting the right build to defeat the next boss before 3 days are up, is a masterclass in minimal game design that perfectly pairs with the dark, retro aesthetics of He Is Coming.

The game itself is in early access and has earned around $1.5m so far, not bad for a 2 man team.

Check out there Steam Page to check out there early access.