Vagante Comes to Xbox. The Evolution of a Roguelite Five Years in the Making

Eugene Paik is my co-founder of Nuke Nine. VaganteThis is the pixelart platformer/roguelite game “” that’s been in development for 5 years. It is available now on Xbox consoles.

Vagante: The Inspirations

Making is a passion for me. Vagante Were Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup (DCSS)And of course: Spelunky. DCSS was the first real roguelike I enjoyed, and it’s still my favorite. It has deep and meaningful character choices, a breadth of combat mechanics, and the gameplay is a lot more streamlined and balanced than other roguelikes I’ve tried. These are just a few of the many mechanics that were inspired by DCSS The classic roguelikes of our game are the class system and many of the item (randarts scrolls potions, potions, wands etc.).), the inclusion of God Shrines, and the collectible Rune Orbs found in the game’s branch areas.

Spelunky ClassicWhen I was finishing high school, it came out in 2009. It really helped me see how common the idea is to add roguelike features to other genres. This was also an example of an original indie game that was fun and polished. My college colleague Kyle, who was also a co-founder of Nuke Nine, and I played together throughout college. Spelunky ClassicWe have spent countless hours speedrunning, and even tried our luck at it. There are parts that Vagante Inspired by Spelunky The player platforming mechanics, angry shopkeepers, as well as intermissions among floors.

Some portions of DCSS Spelunky and Spelunky were both considered in VaganteHowever, they were eventually discarded. One example is the experiment with a hunger alarm like in DCSSThere was also a Ghost Timer like Spelunky but none of these mechanics were a great fit for the pace in Vagante. We wanted players to be able to take their time and deliberately choose how to tackle their next obstacle, something that’s always possible in turn-based roguelike, but the inclusion of a timer pressured players to rush and experiment less. We also leaned into a more specialized class and background system, to allow players to have completely different playthroughs based on whether they’re an Ascetic Mage or an Illiterate Houndmaster.

The universe of Vagante

Vagante The world is full of mysterious and unexplored areas. Wandering adventurers are out to explore these new regions and discover strange dungeons. Vagante’s hero is one such adventurer, joining a caravan to investigate the mystery behind a deep cave filled with monsters and treasure. You can play as Vagante wouldn’t be surprised to know that two of the larger influences for the game’s setting include Diablo The Castlevania Both games were our favorite growing up. This is how the dark atmosphere and light were influenced. Diablo, while many of Vagante’s enemies take inspiration from the Castlevania bestiary.  One of my favorite boss designs in Vagante is the Chimera, which is our take on Castlevania’s Manticore.

Find a balance. Evolution of the Roguelike Mechanics

Over the past few years, the Roguelite genre evolved with modern games offering a more robust system for permanent progress, which is something the old roguelikes do not offer. It was what we wanted Vagante We wanted the game to provide a constant playing experience between playthroughs, much like a roguelike. However we also desired to include replayability and modern progression. We have managed to combine the best aspects of each with the system that unlocks new classes and backgrounds, which adds variety and depth to the game.  There are some games that offer a system where you can make the game easier by purchasing permanent upgrades. We wanted to keep it simple for classic roguelike gameplay. Players’ skills remain the core of our game, rather than inherent progression factors such as power ups or skills you buy. Here’s an example of how inventory and upgrades looked in the original game.

What the background and progression system do in Vagante

The player can choose a class or a background for each Vagante game. The archetype for your character is determined by the classes. Backgrounds are additional specializations that can be added to or modified your character. A Mage could start as a Heirloom character, which grants them the magical ring of their family. Each run you earn progression points that unlock different backgrounds and classes. Some backgrounds are only unlockable by performing certain feats within-game.

Your experience will change as you learn and improve your skills over time. You have the chance to grow and improve with each death, making it feel as if you deserve victory over the game. We wanted Vagante to encapsulate this feeling, and while there’s some amount of randomness in the world, we did our best to minimize anything that’s truly unfair. My experience is that players who learn from their mistakes enjoy it. Vagante, since they’re rewarded with the knowledge that they’re becoming better players.

You are up to the Vagante Challenges! Get it today for Xbox! We hope that you enjoy the game!

Vagante

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Vagante, an action-packed platformer roguelike set in dark fantasy land filled with demons, monsters and crooks is Vagante. The game features procedurally generated levels and permanent death. Adventurers travel the unforgiving terrain in pursuit of power, fame and riches despite these risks. It can also be played with your friends online and offline.