For the most part the combat is decent, allowing you to dash around and fire with the reticle. Although, sometimes the aim can be a bit loose and an immediate, unnecessary difficulty jump does little to quell the issue. If you want a fun roguelite, though, look no further (once you get through that long list, that is.)
Mana Spark deserves to be treated as more than "just" an indie game. Its combats and tactical RPG elements, as well as its very alluring pixel art style and tough difficulty level put it on a threshold that will make veteran players feel the right amount of challenge, while perhaps alienating some of those who are less experienced. A game that will be appreciated by all those who enjoy a good challenge.
A nice indie game. Well worth its price. I have to tell this to the other reviewers: It’s a rogue-like game. You die, do some upgrades, delve into dungeons and die again. You seem to forget the genre of the game. If you like rogue-like games you should check this out.
Would it be fair to call this game Titan Souls Lite? How much does the phrase “twin-stick shooter dungeon roguelike” intrigue you? Honestly, the price is probably a fair bet for providing several hours of solid, challenging combat mechanics. Just beware that the drip-feed progression can feel grindy, even for a shorter game – and that choice of camera takes something away from the whole experience, in this reviewer's opinion. Mana Spark is a game that shines brightly in certain areas, enough to perhaps hide the shortcomings it has as well.
If you don’t mind plenty of death and repetition, with some unfair-seeming failures, Mana Spark can offer an engrossing adventure in which, with patience, you can craft your character and battle your way to victory.
Although it has slow loading times and a difficult targeting system, Mana Spark is a good roguelike with a Souls-style difficulty where enemies will collaborate to defeat you.
This game is a ton of fun for those who love rogue-lights. It has a fun movement style and combat with different character to switch it up. My fiance and I played for about 25 hours at least and for the price that is amazing. The developers are actively supporting the game and adding new content and new characters. Highly recommend! Only reason I rated it an 9 is that the "plot" is a little lacking but for a $4 game I wouldn't expect more.
I got this game, like most other people, on sale for a dollar. While it's certainly not horrible, many elements about it definitely don't do it any good. The difficulty spikes, the unfair deaths... It's pretty well made, but it's the small things that make it a pain to play.
If you want a quick time killer, this could do the job.
I personally really enjoyed this game. the items can lend themselves to very interesting combat. the game is about 9 hours long to beat, but you can play this for about 13 hours before tedium sets in. the art style is a bit oversimplified, but it does have a very strong personality
The game feels unfinished. It has a ranged focus, but keeps you trapped in tight dead-end and trap filled corridors, zooming the camera in really close, nullifying the game's generous kiting mechanichs. It makes for an awkward experience, where spamming arrows offscreen is the best strategy, but sometimes the procedural generation of the dungeons will just spawn you next to a melee thug. I wouldnt mind so much, but this often means redoing dungeons just long enough to become tedious. There is a nugget **** game in here, especially with its calming colourful visuals and gentle ambience. It's probably about three months away from emerging, but right now it just comes accross as short-sighted.
The good:
It was cheap on sale.
The bad:
First area is very easy. Right afterwards, the second area has a LOT more monsters including some which are really unbalanced (Caged minibosses not included)
Progression is really, really slow,
The ugly:
Most monsters are melee type, and will run at you relentlessly once they detect you. Most player characters cannot run and shoot and both reloading AND aiming are slow - so you need to play slowly and pick the dumb monsters off one by one. Definitely more tedious than fun.
Controls and general slowness / unresponsiveness are the main culprit though...
Verdict: Should have avoided this on sale, one cannot get a refund for time spent playing. Do skip if you like roguelikes or roguelites.
SummaryA challenging action RPG with deep souls-like combat and rogue-like elements. Explore a dreadful dungeon and fight smart enemies that will plan and collaborate between themselves to defeat you.