They Look Strange And Have To Die

Roguelikes are designed to be challenging and frustrating, although within tolerable limits, otherwise players get too annoyed and might not appreciate the experience. Hence, permadeath is usually part of the deal, not to mention the fact that you are constantly in danger of being attacked by someone or something. The genre can take many forms, but a first-person roguelike is quite rare.

They Look Strange And Have To Die is a roguelike shooter with a first-person point of view and simple gameplay mechanics, in which you have to survive for as long as possible in a weird world full of aliens. There are multiple weapons that can be used along the way, as well as many different environments to visit, plus a few other features that help with the atmosphere.

To begin with, the game world is quite simple from a visual point of view, given the fact that mostly everything is designed using rough cubes, much like in Minecraft. However, at least the color themes change from one level to the other, and so do the enemies. Speaking of which, the whole thing takes place in turns, which means that you have to pay attention when you walk or shoot, because everything costs you action point, even if you have an infinite supply of them.

The annoying part is that you have a certain chance of hitting the enemies when you shoot at them, depending on distance. Since the number of bullets you have is limited, accuracy is important, especially since it can be difficult to find the right kind of ammunition. Almost every weapon uses different bullets or energy shells, and that’s not good news if you do not have multiple weapons in your inventory.

Other items are available as well, just in case you take too much damage along the way and you want to rectify the matter. Permadeath is always lurking around the corner, so there’s a fair amount of stress, especially if you happen to get ambushed. Speaking of which, the camera controls are a bit too unusual, since you have to hold down the mouse click in order to rotate the camera, which is very counterintuitive in a first-person shooter.

They Look Strange And Have To Die is clearly not polished enough to be considered a finished game, and it’s only normal when you consider the fact that it was designed for a jam competition. However, it does have what it takes to become something a lot better in the future if the developer keeps working on the idea.