Gemygo

Roguelikes are designed to provide you with a challenge and a unique adventure every time, which is why most of them feature randomly-generated levels and many character customization options. In essence, the formula is quite simple, but the tough part is making the whole thing fun and engaging, because that’s not as easy as it sounds.

Gemygo is about as simple as it gets in the genre, and that’s not an exaggeration. Starting from the gameplay, all the way to the map and the graphics, everything is designed to be as lightweight as possible. However, that doesn’t mean you cannot lose a few hours with it, especially if you are the type who likes a challenge and doesn’t give up when the odds are stacked against you.

To begin with, you have one character to play with, but more are unlocked later on. These characters have no names, just different colors, plus a different special ability. One of them has more hit points, while others can cast a spell to recover their health. Obviously, there’s no way to customize these characters, but at least you can mix up the experience whenever you feel bored.

In order to pass the levels you have to unlock the door at the center of the 3-by-3 rooms, which is achieved by picking up one of the keys. Although it doesn’t look like it, the game is played in turns, because you can either pick something up or use it from your inventory to advance the action. Enemies make their move after you make yours, so it’s important that you keep an eye on them as well.

Speaking of which, bombs come in handy when you need to destroy enemies, and the only thing you have to do is drag-and-drop the bombs on top of them. Gems are useful if you want to cast your character’s special ability, but the game is not exactly balanced in this regard. In fact, the whole thing gets annoying after level 5 or 6, especially since you have to deal with two enemies at the same time.

All things considered, it’s difficult to think that something so small and simple can be so tough and challenging. However, Gemygo has quite the kick for its weight, and as long as future versions are balanced a little bit, this could certainly turn into something a lot better.