Rogue Spirit Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Rogue Spirit
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Rogue Spirit key art

A ranged character is shooting arrows, which I easily avoid using my dash, but that puts my right in the way of a slasher, which takes a decent chunk out of my health bar. I parry the next attack and then move away again, to deal with the bigger monster backed by a familiar that’s part of this group. A quick strike combo drops him.

I make the quick but probably unwise decision to shift into his body, which gets me my health back and a new set of combat moves. I also depletes my spirit meter, which I was trying to save for the future. But my new body makes winning the actual fights relatively easy and I’m ready to continue to explore this village for extra powers and secrets.

This is best done in spirit form because I can see hidden chests filled with resources and detect enemies from afar. It can also quickly move past enemies that are isolated and strike them almost undetected. I want to see which the biggest bad guy around is and then plan a combat path that allows me to end up in control of his body and with as much health as possible. A boss battle is waiting for me and preparation is everything.

Rogue Spirit is developed by Kids With Sticks and published by 505 Games. I played via Steam on the PC. It can also be picked up on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X and S. The title offers a third-person action experience that also uses a rogue-lite system.

Rogue Spirit
Rogue Spirit
Rogue Spirit
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The action takes place in a kingdom called Midra, inspired by Eastern spiritual beliefs, which is under assault by an army of demonic powers. Gamers will take on the role of the spirit of the dead prince, brought back to life in a monastery that’s the final refuge of this culture’s elders. They know a lot about the threat but only this spirit is capable enough to take out enemies and save everyone.

The story is a clear conflict between right and wrong and the writing is decent but does not impress. The world is influenced by Asian culture and civilizations, with plenty of fantasy elements like familiars and chaos demons. It offers a good place for the action mechanics but not much more.

Thankfully, Rogue Spirit has one very cool core idea, surrounded by many other solid gameplay choices. The big innovation is that players, after defeating an enemy, can choose to shift the spirit of the prince to that enemy, gaining new abilities and attributes.

It’s a neat idea and it works beautifully. Take down an opponent and look at his body to see attributes, then simply press a button to take over that body and leave your previous one behind. Then push forward, battle some more enemies, and see how you like their mortal shells.

This is, of course, easier said than done. Combat is designed to be challenging but rewarding. Characters don’t move very fast but they do have a dash to get out of the way of attacks. The parry move is crucial to keeping health up and it’s a good idea to spend some time in the training yard, getting the timing right. Each type of character has two attacks and and will get special abilities, acquired at shrines, that add to a player’s offensive potential.

Finally, regardless of body choice, the spirit can acquire and use a familiar by moving around in spirit form to catch them. Each has a unique combat role and helps with the tougher encounters. Enemies sometimes use their own demon familiars.

The player can switch between his possessed body and spirit form at will. An increase in movement speed is the first effect of moving through the levels as a non-corporeal being. Increased detection, including for resource chests, is another. The unbound spirit is also stealthy as long as it evades enemy detection cones, enabling the launch of some powerful surprise strikes.

Because opponents have the same moves as you do creates good combat sequences, especially against groups. Getting to control an epic version of a class feels great and it’s a good idea to try and plan character switching to try and get to the most difficult encounters using the best possible body.

Healing in Rogue Spirit happens when the player has gathered the spirit resource and shifts between bodies. It’s a good way to push gamers to try new characters and abilities as they move through a level. It also makes it somewhat easier to deal with big groups that attack at the same time.

When the spirit is vanquished he wakes up back at the monastery. A body is ready for possession to start another run. A range of permanent upgrades can be unlocked, although they require a few too many resources for my liking, and there’s also a chance to tweak familiar and practice combat.

This action and rogue blend has become a go-to genre for smaller developers recently and few have offered meaningful innovation. The body-shifting mechanic in Rogue Spirit is a great improvement, tweaking the entire core gameplay loop, and adding excitement and variety.

Rogue Spirit has a clear style and looks pretty good in action. Combat is fast and deadly, with clear cues about incoming attacks and vision cones that make it easy to use stealth efficiently. Characters and enemies are inspired by Asian elements with an added layer of fantasy. There’s enough personality here to keep players engaged but little innovation. Characters speak in made-up languages and the soundtrack and combat sounds are decent but do not impress.

Rogue Spirit
Rogue Spirit
Rogue Spirit
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The Good

  • Body possession concept
  • Good group combat
  • Variety of powers and upgrades

The Bad

  • Requires some resource grinding
  • Boss difficulty spikes
  • Limited rogue-like innovation

Conclusion

Rogue Spirit’s unique idea is great, enhancing the action game with its fun implementation. It’s a pleasure to move from body to body, discover their capabilities and then create a deadly chain of attacks, shits, and abilities. Bosses pose a clear challenge but are not unfair.

The rogue layer doesn’t tweak the familiar formula in any way and requires some grinding to get the big permanent upgrades. The world looks good and the narrative is decent. Rogue Spirit is a great example of how a well targeted new idea can make some classic genre ideas feel fresh again.

A review key was provided by the publisher

story 8
gameplay 9
concept 8
graphics 8
audio 7
multiplayer 0
final rating 8.5
Editor's review
very good
 
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Rogue Spirit Screenshots (21 Images)

Rogue Spirit key art
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