Sword of the Stars: The Pit Demo

Roguelikes were pretty popular back in the day, even if the difficulty level was incredibly high and the visuals were minimum to say the least. However, the thought of having to survive at all costs for as long as possible made the experience that much more intense and enjoyable, despite the stretched nerves and the uncontrollable anger fits.

Sword of the Stars: The Pit follows the same concepts, except for the fact that it takes place in a futuristic setting and the skeletons are replaced by aliens, robots and various other nefarious creatures. You also use slightly more different weapons, such as rifles, machine-guns and pistols, although a large knife can also come in handy when you run out of bullets.

Obviously, you will more often than not run out of bullets, which is why caution and restraint are important when it comes to making use of your inventory. Guns and armor items can get damaged, depending on what you use them on and what kind of creature attacks you. If you continue to damage them and forget to repair your items from time to time, you can lose them for good, leaving you unarmed in the face of danger.

One thing that impresses about the game is the sheer number of items you can find around the levels, some of which drop from the enemies you kill, while other await for you in various containers. Naturally, they are split into multiple categories, such as healing aids, ammunition and gun parts to repair your arsenal, but there are also some apparently useless items, which can be combined in order to obtain other, more powerful artifacts.

Your character can evolve in many different directions, depending on the stats you choose to increase. There are many disciplines and abilities that can be improved, including mechanics, electronics, lockpicking and many others. Special skills can also be trained, which are also split into multiple categories and their usefulness depends on your playing style.

The most important part of Sword of the Stars: The Pit is the fact that there are almost endless ways you can play it, thanks to the incredibly complex character sheet and the huge amount of content available. On the other hand, you still need to be at peace with the idea that you will die frequently and have to start from the top, whether due to unforeseen encounters, or a hidden trap.