13Z is far from an original concept in the indie sphere, there are a plethora of roguelike titles made by indie developers that established themselves to players. So it’s a challenge for any new games to come out and grab anyone’s attention.
Also with the rise of anime and manga over the past decade, games inspired by eastern folklore have become a dime-a-dozen these days. 13Z sounds like a game that will simply be forgotten in the sea of many others like it, but despite all that, it’s actually a ton of fun.
To start off with, the game is presented well. Though the story is simple, with the player taking the role of a character attempting to become the 13th Zodiac, hence the name of the game. No backstory is given for motivation, though locked lore sections will likely flesh this out in the final release.
For the preview build we were given, which is now publicly available, there was only one playable character. The character is a fox girl (what a surprise) who focused on fast strikes and combos. She was fun to play with, albeit rather basic due to be essentially a tutorial character to teach players the game.
Though when it comes to gameplay, 13Z has already impressed me with the level of polish they’ve already brought with their early build. Movement is tight and combat is satisfying as numerous enemies surrounded my character. They were all well defined in their battle styles, allowing me to make good decisions on how to dispatch of them.
The balance was well-done with none of the frustrating moments that come with many roguelike during their early sections. I felt as though any mistakes were my own and the game was more than fair when it came to punishing and rewarding my actions.
For 13Z, everything I did felt like it progressed the game in a meaningful manner. This is good as it falls under the roguelike category where players can build up their character’s strengths outside of runs for permanent buffs so they can move further along every time.
In 13Z‘s case, it comes in the form of a village you’ll have to purchase upgrades for with currency you collect during runs. It’s all things that veterans of the genre have grown accustomed to. And another mark to the game playing it safe with convention.
Though despite any criticism I do have for the game, it’s still a title that is very well put together. It’s presentation is reminiscent of later PS2 games with its cel-shaded graphics.
I’m surprised the developers haven’t promoted 13Z as a retro throwback of that era, though I respect not plastering the “retro” label as has become common practice among indie titles.
Right now 13Z has a strong foundation for its future. Many of the things that roguelike indie developers should focus on, such as how fun their gameplay mechanics so players have good reason to continue on their loops, has already been figured out with this game.
I’m excited for developer Mixed Realms’ continued work for this game. They’ve already teased a couple more characters for the game that I’m certainly will provide players with numerous possibilities that’ll keep things fresh hundreds of runs into the game.
To those who are fans of the genre, I highly recommend you check out 13Z when it eventually launches for Windows PC (via Steam). And even those who might only be interested should give 13Z a try. It’s a game that’s managed to strike a spot that can appeal to everyone.
This preview build of 13Z was provided to us via the Mixed Realms Pte Ltd. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here.
