A few days ago, we were offered a very interesting project to try out here at Gamerview. When the invitation arrived, I didn’t know what to expect from the so-called Project Vladius and, seeing that the name of the game was Dark Scrolls, I admit that I expected something similar to a souls-like. The surprise came when I found myself facing a kind of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse that was completely innovative in its premise.
Dark Scrolls tells a story similar to many we’ve seen on old consoles: a 2D platform adventure where we go through themed stages with a barrage of enemies, trying not to perish as we head towards the final villain’s home. The big difference here is that Dark Scrolls inserts rogue-lite elements into its recipe, making each attempt even more fun.
The return of the heroes
So far, the game has only featured three heroes from what I believe will be an even larger group. To start the adventure, we must choose between the wizard Esmeraldo, the barbarian Bruto or the rogue Colomba. These heroes seek revenge on a former companion who betrayed them after defeating the game’s former villain, seizing the titular Dark Scroll and defeating their old friends with a blast of energy.
Everyone starts with the same playing style, with simple and ineffective attacks, and must set out on a journey towards the final objective: the top of the castle. The three characters attack in different ways, but the gameplay system is practically the same, with basic attacks, double jumps and aerial attacks. After a certain number of hits, characters can use a special ability.
Esmeraldo creates a wall of magical spheres that protects him from projectiles and enemies; Bruto jumps into the air and fires several axes; and Colomba becomes invisible for a minute — if she attacks in this state, she will deal immense critical damage, capable of eliminating most enemies. There are also some secret allies that can be unlocked in this alpha, but I won’t mention them so as not to spoil the surprise.
It’s not impossible to beat Dark Scrolls the first time, passing all the levels without being defeated, after all, all the characters attack using projectiles. Colomba always throws a pair of daggers, Bruto uses his axes and Esmeraldo shoots spheres that ricochet off the walls, being the only one who, after a while attacking non-stop, manages to launch a large number of spheres simultaneously.
Expanding the arsenal
If the most likely scenario occurs and the player dies, their progress will not have been in vain. The effort is converted into a progression bar that, whenever it reaches the end, generates a crystal. These crystals can be used to buy improvements in one of the stores before starting the journey in the small town where characters are revived whenever they die, probably due to the influence of the Dark Scroll itself.
The store can be accessed to purchase permanent improvements, however, during levels, there are two breaks. In the first, the player faces a large number of enemies at the same time; If you manage to defeat them within the limit, a cannon will launch the character directly into the second gap before the boss. This second moment allows the player to select attack improvements acquired with crystals in the city.
Whether with elements, faster attacks or a greater number of projectiles, the player can choose up to five modifiers, which will be related to the level of stars above the life bar. Each star allows access to an improvement purchased in the phase and, with all the stars lit, the player can use the character’s special, restarting the filling cycle throughout the attacks.
The gameplay cycle is simple and repetitive so far, as there are still few characters, and I believe there will be changes to the maps in the future. For the current version, there is already a good diversity of routes. Some are locked due to specific conditions that must be met, which makes the challenge more intriguing at certain times.
For a project that hasn’t even been officially announced, I admit that Dark Scrolls is a very welcome surprise, bringing Castlevania references, reminiscent mechanics and an Infernax-style look. Now we just have to wait for the rest of this unexpected, but certainly very promising, adventure!
