Deepest Chamber is a singleplayer rogue-like card game with exploration elements added in. It is created by Balcony Softworks, a small indie team based in Hungary, Budapest. They are also the creators of Balrum. Thanks to The Indie Houses, I was given the opportunity to play this game.
Storyline
There was a city named Dolmin that was living a completely normal life until a huge dome of light engulfed the city, setting everything on fire. The King decided to move the city and all of its inhabitants underground. It was fine for a while, but all law and order went out of the window, leaving everything in disarray as the curse of undeath is released. You play as a group of former city guards and reformed villains who are now stuck in the depths of the sewers, attempting to find a way out of the sewers for good.
Features
Gameplay is good, fun and well-explained. I didn’t struggle at all when it came to figuring out how to play Deepest Chamber. The graphics are good. I like the dark and dingy style of the game, it really fits well with the story and the overall theme that was created. There are exciting characters that you have to fight, with interesting quirks on each of them. They all have unique styles and some of them can be really difficult to fight, especially the Midwife! Admittedly, the first time I played I didn’t get very far at all. I only managed to descend two floors before I died for the first time, as I didn’t realize the importance of defense!
There is a ton of variety through the various different cards you can get, trinkets that you can collect to make or break your descent into the chamber and consumables that can be found along the journey! This game does really have a lot of replayability, and by playing it I found that it is very easily a game that you can quickly jump into at any moment and just start playing.
One minor thing I did have an issue with was the music — even on 100% volume in-game and on my PC, I could still barely hear a thing. I could hear the sound effects just fine in the game, but the music was incredibly quiet or non-existent, which is a shame as I think it could have really benefited the game as a whole and added to the dark atmosphere of Deepest Chamber. The sound effects are fun and gory sounding, which definitely adds to the gritty atmosphere of the game, but not having any music to listen to in a game like this was really disappointing.
Perks of death
Even death is forgiving in this game compared to other roguelikes, as when you die, you are sometimes able to find some of your old trinkets and items that you carried with you in your last run, making it a bittersweet journey! Along the way, expect to meet some friendly faces as it’s not all doom and gloom down in the sewers; there are characters who can help you with your journey, offering items to buy from them that may serve to be very helpful to your group later on in the game. Not only this, but dying can be beneficial, as the game is all about unlocking new things for your later runs.
This game feels more forgiving than other roguelikes I’ve played, such as Hades or The Binding of Isaac. They feature perma-death the same as Deepest Chamber but don’t allow you to have the same power that you have when you restart a run in the game.
Final Thoughts
Although the game itself is really fun and easy to sink into, there aren’t enough options when it comes to deck-building. This is because the cards don’t necessarily synergize together, meaning some of the mobs you fight you are completely screwed when fighting, as you just don’t have the right type of cards for when you come up against them. This is a problem I faced multiple times and died for it. It didn’t deter me from trying to better my deck and gave me an incentive to try and find other items to help aid my journey, but a little bit more customization on the decks would feel essential to the game.
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The Review
Deepest Chamber
Overall I really enjoyed the game, and can’t wait to see how gritty it gets once it comes out of Early Access. There are a ton of fun features in the game, with lots of variety. A few things do need changing, but overall they feel relatively minor to the rest of the positivity and fun that is found within the game.
PROS
- The game is a great time sink with an interesting story
- The atmosphere is fantastic and very dark and gritty
- Death in game is very forgiving
CONS
- The lack of music is disheartening and could add real power to the game
- The deck building can be a bit harsh and make deep descents very difficult. They need tailoring
Amy is a 23-year-old full-time student with a degree in Creative writing and Journalism. She has been playing games since she was a kid. She is an aspiring novelist and games journalist.
