pixel dungeon vs shattered pixel dungeon

#Pixel dungeon vs shattered pixel dungeon update
#Pixel dungeon vs shattered pixel dungeon plus

#Pixel dungeon vs shattered pixel dungeon update

The developer is working on improving UX for Steam users in future updates, so I’ll be sure to update this if significant improvements are made. Now, the controls *are* fully configurable, so if you don’t like anything, you can change it, but the default controls are what I’d call “working, I guess”, at least at the time of writing. I couldn’t tell you the number of times I instinctively pressed X to attempt to pick up an item but ended up using my third quickslot item instead. L1 and R1 are bound to Examine and Inventory respectively, but confusingly, the face buttons are bound to the quickslots. And those are solid controls if a little unwieldy. It’s not unplayable, the left stick and d-pad control movement, the right stick controls a cursor, and R2 and L2 act as Left Click and Right Click respectively. However, the default controller binds are…frustrating, to put it in a word. Those who have been following this blog know that I got my hands on a Steam Deck not long ago, and Shattered was one of the games that I’d been anxiously waiting to play on it. With these additions, playing with a keyboard and mouse is quite smooth, however…there is a pain point to the game’s controls. Now, to its credit, with the Steam release, there were some UX improvements like the desktop UI that made inventory management more convenient, as well as adding keybindings for every action in the game. Now, being a mobile-only game for the majority of its development cycle, it would stand to reason that Shattered’s controls are very point-and-click. It’s things like this, in addition to subclasses or the recently added hero Talents, which functions similar to a skill tree, that Shattered balances being fun and being accessible. While it’s simple, it also retains a lot of depth, for example, there’s a consumable that allows you to augment a weapon either for speed or damage, at the cost of the other. Different weapons will have different properties, such as a spear being slow but having a higher range than a shortsword. Mechanically speaking, everything is relatively straightforward, you’ve got attack and defense from weapons and armor respectively, as well as attack speed, range, evasion, and accuracy. But when it comes to getting through the dungeon, there are a lot of little nuances, things you pick up on as you learn and gain experience, and it’s things like this that keep me playing, I want to learn every nook and cranny of the dungeon’s procedurally-generated walls and Shattered does not disappoint. You pick a hero from Warrior, Mage, Rogue, or Huntress, punch some enemies, and collect treasure and equipment as you descend further and further into the dungeon, fighting through several different areas eventually making your way to the chamber of Yog-Dzewa to obtain the Amulet of Yendor. On the surface, Shattered feels like your typical dungeon crawler. Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon fun? Absolutely. GameplayĪs much as I can gush about the look and feel of the game, in the words of Reggie Fils-Amie, “If the game’s not fun, why bother?”

#Pixel dungeon vs shattered pixel dungeon plus

The original Pixel Dungeon had one looping track that played throughout the entire game, but Shattered has distinct themes for each area, plus special versions for boss stages, all lovingly composed by Kristjan Haaristo. Inventory management is just a click away.įinally, another way Shattered elevates its presentation is its music. Shattered Pixel Dungeon piggybacks off of the original’s 2D pixel art style while blending it with a sort of 2.5D style for the dungeon’s walls, making everything pop a bit more. To say it’s gathered a fanbase of its own would be an understatement, as Shattered is regarded as the definitive way to play Pixel Dungeon, with even newer forks branching off of it rather than the original. Starting as a small balance mod, at the time of writing, every major game mechanic has received a rework, making the game feel like a brand new experience compared to the original. Over the 8 years it’s been around, it’s evolved quite a bit. Shattered Pixel Dungeon is a game that’s been around for quite a while, starting in 2014 as a fork of Oleg Dolya’s Pixel Dungeon, a pixel-styled roguelite that hit the right notes for a lot of people, myself included, garnering over 5 million installs on Google Play. Shattered Pixel Dungeon, while it’s been out for a while on mobile, has recently made its proper debut on PCs via Steam, and being a longtime fan, I felt it necessary to give it a spotlight. Take one of my favorite genres and put it on a platform that almost everyone has, and you have a way to catch my attention.