Necropolis

 Xbox One
Necropolis Image
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critics What's this?

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  • Summary: A blend of third-person action and procedural dungeon-delving. Oh, and perma-death. Adventure alone or with up to 3 friends in a magical deathtrap that reconstructs itself each time you play. Will you find the exit, or die trying?

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Oct 31, 2016
    74
    Necropolis is a solid foundation with a really weird, questionably designed house built on top. If you're willing to take the time and try to spruce the place up, you may find it was worthwhile, but beware that it may require more work than you're willing to put in.
  2. ICXM
    Nov 11, 2016
    70
    Overall, Necropolis is a fun combat-focused game which will keep you engaged for dozens of hours. It’s brutally difficult and even I had trouble despite being an expert at Dark Souls 3. Keep that in mind when purchasing the title. The pastel-looking visuals give it a unique aesthetic and in general it’s quite polished. I just wish the combat was less clunky.
  3. XboxAddict
    Oct 31, 2016
    65
    Make no mistake, Necropolis is a very hard game, and should you be playing solo, it is a game that is shockingly and absolutely brutally hard as it tries it's best to keep you in the dungeon for all eternity.
  4. XBLA Fans
    Oct 25, 2016
    60
    Necropolis is an alternative to the average roguelike, with excellent multiplayer features, lots and lots of depth and a ton of content to wade through for those with the right skills. Unfortunately, it's likely to be too hard for many folks to see through to the end, and as a result, I think it will remain a much-loved niche title rather than a mainstream powerhouse.
  5. COGconnected
    Oct 25, 2016
    60
    If you really enjoy dark dungeon crawlers that are punishing to those who rush in, Necropolis could be a lot of fun for you. If you’re a fan of the Souls series and looking at this because it has some similarities, I recommend looking elsewhere. The combat and randomness will likely just leave you frustrated.
  6. We Got This Covered
    Oct 25, 2016
    60
    Necropolis is a decent stab at creating a Souls roguelike. If it had that all-important "just one more go" feeling nailed, what we would have here would be something truly special. Unfortunately, it’s merely the cold shadow of a much warmer bonfire.

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Wigdaddy
    Aug 16, 2018
    10
    Most of the "professional" critics here seem to be judging Necropolis by the same standards as a typical video game, and so not surprisinglyMost of the "professional" critics here seem to be judging Necropolis by the same standards as a typical video game, and so not surprisingly complain about the game's difficulty and randomness. As a player who has already made it to the final level and fought the final boss of the game, I can tell you that such negative judgment is misplaced.

    While it superficially looks like a video game and contains some of the same elements as one, Necropolis is specifically marketed as a *roguelike*. And roguelikes, which feature permanent death and procedurally generated levels, are meant to be random and hard. It's part of the appeal.

    Knowing from the start that you have only one life to live changes gameplay dramatically and gives you a profound sense of emotional attachment to your character. There is no "reverting to save" here. And no two games are ever quite the same. Getting to explore a whole new dungeon each and every time you play increases replayability above even many of the very best A-list video games.

    Necropolis isn't just a hack-and-slash. While most video games are a lot like sports in many respects, roguelikes are an older, more intellectual pursuit, more akin to backgammon or chess. You learn to be cautious, keeping your distance from things when they pose a significant threat, thinking a ton about strategy and carefully building up resources to accomplish long term goals, most of which revolve around keeping death at bay for as long as possible.

    A very common and highly efficacious approach is to go back through every single level *after* you've cleared it, looting the randomly-spawned creatures that show up along the way and exploring any side passages you may have missed. This helps toughen up your character for the next level, which is usually noticeably harder than the last.

    And despite all of your extensive preparations, you almost always fail and have to start again from the beginning. The randomness makes every game impossible to fully anticipate -- even highly skilled veterans will occasionally have sessions where their character dies in the first five minutes.

    But the sense of accomplishment you get from playing through a roguelike from beginning to end without dying is quite profound, and Necropoils is no exception. By the time you get to the end you have become a being of intense power within the game world, and have the satisfaction of knowing that the character you have built truly is something both exceptional and unique.

    Video game critics would be well-advised to learn more about roguelikes before pronouncing judgment on them, because roguelikes operate under different rules and standards than the vast majority of games that critics are accustomed to. This game rocks.    … Expand
  2. He_Never_Helps
    Apr 5, 2017
    8
    I'm sort of shocked there are no outraged user reviews here. I'm not really surprised the reviewers on a deadline didn't like this as much asI'm sort of shocked there are no outraged user reviews here. I'm not really surprised the reviewers on a deadline didn't like this as much as the gamers, so if you're looking for some user reviews, check out the xbox store.

    Generally speaking, it's a pretty excellent little hack and slash rougelike. Customization and loot is done well enough to propel the game. Online is entertaining. The biggest complaint i have is that i'd like more of what it already is. Another class, a social meta game, stuff like that. If you like permadeath and that souls type gameplay, odds are you'll fall in love with this one for 30 bucks. And if you see it on sale, it's a no brainer. Honestly not sure what more the review community wants from it, but it's definitely not the sort of game one plays with a goal in mind, so if the idea is to amass enough in game time to write a functional review, i doubt it'd be as much fun as it is to play aimlessly. That's all i can think of.    … Expand

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