Ikki Unite

Oh, look, another 16-bit pixelated roguelike. Ikki Unite is another example of why we feel these games are being churned out just for a laugh now. How many copy-paste jobs of these titles have we seen in recent years? We're at a point where we cannot differentiate them because they have remarkably similar mechanics, visuals, themes, and narratives. Is Ikki Unite trying to be different? We're not sure.

The game shares the core gameplay of a co-op action roguelike, where you'll assume different characters, level-up skills, and endlessly slaughter encroaching enemies. But alas, we'll allow Ikki Unite to prove that they're something different. And if anything, we know these action roguelikes are entertaining so that we can get a little bit of fun, intense combat out of it.

Bad Batch Made Better

It's not promising when a game's tagline reads as a legendary bad game returning to unite. Honestly, I had no idea there even was an Ikki game before this version came into the fold. But regardless, here we are with a similar narrative, the same motivation, and a lot of action threaded together by simple visuals and an easy-to-learn control schematic.

So what's the deal behind Ikki Unite? The premise of gameplay is to defend your autumn harvest from evil locusts impeding your land. You'll gather friends, arm up, level skills, and engage in eternal combat to ensure your village is safe. Yes, it's pretty straightforward, but the casual nature of this title was never going to focus on the narrative. Instead, it wants players to feel the rush of battle success with friends.

Does it succeed? More or less. Ikki Unite does bring the action roguelike thrills one would expect from the genre. It's easy enough to pick up that anyone can jump into the fray, which is a core allure of why anyone would even try the game. There are 16 characters to play, each with abilities that can be paired with others to deliver the ultimate finishing moves for your insect-laden battles.

But is Ikki Unite breaking genre ground? No, it's relatively the same as any action roguelike, focusing only on casual gamers. It's fun for a little while, but the gameplay is expectedly repetitive, with no real incentive to play after you've mastered the art of locust repelling. It's one of those games that you could give a run if you're desperate for something to play in a night in.

Run Like the Rogue

What players can enjoy about Ikki Unite is that it's a typical action roguelike that doesn't take itself too seriously. That breathing space can make an enjoyable environment for players to win and die by the sword and share a few laughs about the experience. However, those thrills and spills in similar titles like Vampire Survivors aren't as abundant.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• A good action roguelike game for parties
• Various character skill sets to combine
• Easy to learn, making the game accessible to everyone

Cons:

• Mechanically and visually similar to other titles
• Repetitive, getting tiresome quickly
• Some players might not enjoy the simplistic gameplay