Seraph

Seraph published on PC and PS4 is a dynamic action game developed by the independent studio Dreadbit – the creators responsible for e.g. Ironcast.

Plot

In Seraph you assume the role of the eponymous heroine – an angel held in a top security, futuristic prison from which one cannot escape just like that. To fight her way out, Seraph needs to defeat hordes of devilish creatures.

Mechanics

Seraph put out on PC and PS4 presents the action from a side-view. Exploration and combat are the essential element of the game. The heroine faces beasts that are simple cannon fodder, and more powerful opponents – these are bigger, stronger, and more resistant. What makes the title different are the dynamics and the combat system. For example, aiming is automatic, so all you need to do is pull the trigger and control the heroine who can jump over enemies, run on walls, and bounce off them, which enables her to avoids attacks. During gameplay, you can make use of a wide arsenal of weapons such as pistols, machine guns, and shotguns – the further you progress, the more kinds of deadly firearms you get. While in most cases killing enemies only requires enough firepower, to kill a boss, you need to approach it and finish the job yourself – usually, you are given a period of time to do that – if you don’t manage, the boss is ready to fight again. Moreover, during gameplay you unlock useful special offensive abilities which, if mastered, help you survive the most difficult fights.

Particular levels are generated procedurally – with each time you start playing, the arrangement of levels, enemies, bosses, and power ups, which give Seraph a temporary advantage over enemies, is different. The title also introduces roguelike aspects – each time you die, the heroine is reborn with a smaller HP limit, and eventually she can die permanently. In such case, you are not forced to start everything all over again, as Seraph can be reborn in checkpoints. Interestingly, as you become better, the difficulty level rises in real-time. However, the more demanding are clashes, the better rewards you are given. Apart from that, the title features a special mode integrated with Twitch – the viewers can choose special modifiers so as to make things a bit easier for you or, on the contrary, to make gameplay more difficult.

Technical aspects

The 2D visuals in Seraph are decent. Different light effects that accompany powerful attacks deserve special recognition. Gameplay is complemented with dynamic, electronic music, purchasable separately as OST.

Last updated on 17 November 2016