Arken

There's always that one game that always has a special place in our hearts, and we love replaying it over and over, sometimes even sticking to the same playstyle as before.  The problem is that eventually, you get tired by the repetition, especially when you end up remembering the environment by heart, and that's why games, where things are procedurally generated, are becoming all the more popular.  Such is the case of Arken, an action-adventure game you explore a world that will always be different.

As always, you are a protagonist no one has ever heard of, and it is your job to save the world, and in this case, you can achieve that by regaining the piece of the world by collecting the four ancient relics. All of this is done within an 8-bit world reminiscent of adventure games from arcades in the 80s and 90s. If you end up loving this game, you'll be glad to know that the next time you play it you'll have a whole new experience, since every time you start a new game, a new world is generated on the fly, unlike the ones you've played on before.

If you do like one map, in particular, you can save its seed for later, and use it to generate a new world that is somewhat similar to it. The seed affects the outside overworld, caves, houses, dungeons, NPCs and the quest logic, further improving the novelty feel of each new game. One thing you should remember is that death is permanent and there are no save-points, meaning that if you die, you'll have to start a whole new game all over again.

While Arken's graphics and soundtrack may not be according to anyone's taste, those of you that do appreciate a gaming throwback to the past might like this little title and the fact that it always plays differently every time you start a new adventure.