TAMA SWORD OF THE NECROMANCER UPDATE

As it stands, you can’t really let yourself get attached to anything other than the titular sword which directly contradicts the key point of the narrative that Tama has grown attached to Koko.

TAMA SWORD OF THE NECROMANCER UPDATE

The inclusion of the latest update which allows for a more customized experience is an improvement, but it did sour my enjoyment of the game just a little to not have it from launch. The mechanic of reviving enemies to fight for you is a great concept, and general features like diverse weapons and effective combat maneuvers feel superb, however, this strange inventory design feels like a huge setback. Sword of the Necromancer is a neat, engaging, and surprising rogue-like with some great ideas and a curiously deep narrative.

I will say the randomly generated stages can get a bit formulaic and repetitive, but the real treat here is entering a room with a diverse mix of enemies and trying to employ all the proper tactics to survive against them at the same time. Those cute little plants? They spit a long-range, barbed tongue that deals huge damage, so wait until it attacks before you move in. Is there a bat? Be prepared to dodge out of their charge attack.

Each enemy type has unique attacks and patterns to watch for which keeps you engaged with every room you enter. You also can’t simply spam the attack button as Tama needs a moment after each combo, so it becomes necessary to pay attention to your enemy and their patterns. Each weapon type handles differently, with swords being short-range and faster, polearm weapons having a longer range but slower, etc. Dodging is key to survival (unless you find a shield.) it is swift and effective. What Sword of the Necromancer does have going for it is its diverse enemies and combat mechanics. The latest update does now feature options to toggle item loss off as well as offer other settings to make for a more customized experience, however, these should have been included at launch. I understand the point of losing something when you fall, but losing everything in a game with such strong RPG elements and having to ignore all those items simply because you can only hold four (or eight with the backpack) feels like a net loss. Since items are random in the dungeon, I might find a spear or shield I really like, but my options are to lose it now or save it to lose later and hope I might run into it again. None of these options appeal to me as I lose any sense of progress. I can either send him back to the lobby for a later run and now be without the character I leveled, I can return to the lobby and automatically lose him, or I can press on and if I die, I automatically lose him. Let’s say I have resurrected a mage and leveled him up a few times. You also will have your character level cut in half. In the original version of the game before this latest update, If you decide to leave the dungeon at any point – be it returning to the lobby to end the run or if you fall at the hand of your enemies – you will lose any item you are carrying except for the sword. Upon defeating a boss you can choose to send any of the items you have back to the item chest in the lobby or continue to progress further in the dungeon. While this makes for tight inventory management to make the player choose their loadout more carefully, it is also incredibly flawed. There is an update that introduces a backpack, allowing Tama to carry more items, but those items will not supply their passive effects, nor will monsters held in the backpack heal over time. One of these is dedicated to the sword of the necromancer, so the other three comprise random weapons or items found in the dungeon, as well as any resurrected monsters. Tama can use four items at any time one for each face button.

Tama sword of the necromancer