Lethal Honor - Order of the Apocalypse is an upcoming roguelite that will have players thwart eldritch horrors.
Lethal Honor - Order of the Apocalypse Is a Graphic Novel Styled Action Roguelite
Persistence is keyin succeeding in the Roguelike and Rogelite genres. Players will need to survive to thrive and learn from their mistakes in the heart-pumping action in these kinds of games. Who can forget the infamous time loops ofReturnal, the memorable cast, and gameplay ofHades, or the cute-yet-ghastly art style ofCult of the Lamb?
Randomly generated arenas and enemy placement, permadeath, and intense difficulty are just some of the staples of this genre. Now, Viral Studios was able to successfully run a campaign to gather funds for a new entry into these kinds of games. It is called Lethal Honor, and it looks quite bloody good.
Lethal Honor in a Nutshell
Lethal Honor: Order of the Apocalypse (previously Lethal Honor: Essence) is an action-adventure roguelite game. Its main selling point is its graphic-novel style art and visuals. The game is a refreshing mix of Lovecraftian horrors and sci-fi elements, lovingly coated with a comic book paint job. Lethal Honor also has quite a nice looking way it melds 2D characters onto a 3D backdrop, much likeWildermyth.
However, instead of colorful joy and sunshine, Lethal Honor serves up some truly terrifying abominations. The Lethal Honor group is an underground militant sect that protects humanity from the forces of the paranormal. Various demons, zombies, and other eldritch machinations have burst through into our realm, causing mayhem and havoc.
Welcome to the Order
The gameplay of Lethal Honor is purely from the isometric top-down perspective, following one of two (currently) playable characters. Players will need to navigate from area to area, much like other roguelites, and decide on a path to take.
Lethal Honor promises to have “brutal isometric hack and slay rogue-lite gameplay”. This, as well as the gameplay screenshots we’ve seen, looks like it does look like a satisfying romp. Players will also need to think and consider their approach to fights, as spamming the same attack button over and over again will lead to a hasty demise.
The game will often interweave comic book panels as a means to tell a story in between chambers. It will be interesting to see how many of these pages the game will provide, lest the experience becomes a bit monotonous. Perhaps even these segments will have some randomness attached to them to keep runs from feeling unique.
The Awakening
As mentioned earlier, there are currently two agents: Aaron and Danielle. Aaron will provide players with a bit more of a balanced playstyle: defense and offense are doled out in equal measures. Danielle on the other hand will be quicker and has the potential to deal more damage. However, this comes at a cost as she will be more susceptible to damage.
Other agents of Lethal Honor are called “Core Agents”, and are non-player characters that will assist throughout missions. However, players must first encounter them out in the world and rescue them before they join your cause. In return, these NPCs will hang around the Awakening Room, which is the hub zone for Lethal Honor. They can then be sent on separate missions or progress the story further.
Since this is also a Lovecraftian-inspired game, demonic pacts are also a thing. There will be various “friendly” demons that will offer agents their assistance. However deals with the devil are rarely so simple, just likeRaphaelinBaldur’s Gate 3or the Devil inCuphead.
Lethal Honor Mission Debrief
Though the game’s Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns ended years ago, the team at Viral Studios was still able to reach their first 3 major goals. This brings the planned content to include the following:
Of course, since this is a roguelite, randomization is a big part of keeping the game’s longevity. Tilesets will be plenty, ranging from advanced laboratories, plague-ridden swamps, a forgotten crypt, and more. Elements of the background and foreground will likely be randomized with major areas being hand-built.
Taking a note fromMetroidvanias, Lethal Honor will also promote returning to old areas. This is because some pathways open up as the story progresses, breathing new content into places we’ve been before. Relics, artifacts, and other items will enhance and change your playstyle dramatically, causing players to mix and adapt to the boons (or curses) that they obtain.
Honor Among Thieves
Lethal Honor was announced alongside the THQ Presentation over the weekend. Currently, there’s no release date, but it has been confirmed to be released on all major last-gen consoles.
For more news, check outGenshin Impact 3.0 Release Date Announced,Sherlock Holmes The Awakened Surpasses Kickstarter Goal in 6 Hours, andHogwarts Legacy Now Delayed to February 2023; Switch Release Date to Be Revealed Soon.
