14 DAY TRIAL // Don't Die Minerva, an indie rogue-lite action RPG that has recently made its debut in the Early Access program, is a little gem that fans of the genre should watch out for next year. Developed by Xaviant, the game features unique features that set it apart from other rogue-lite titles. For starters, Minerva, the protagonist of the game, doesn't shoot her enemies but uses toys that spray projectiles in a predetermined radius.
As you can expect from a rogue-lite, everything from dungeons, loot, and enemies are randomly generated, and when you die, you lose all progress. To make it easier to advance the game, developers have added some sort of in-game currency that can be used to purchase upgrades that carry on even after death. These upgrades are quite expensive, which is why you'll be able to drop any amount towards an upgrade at any given time.
Minerva, a youngster who comes back to her parents' mansion just to find it overrun by ghastly baddies, must purge every wing of the dungeon-crawling building and learn what happened and whether or not her parents are still alive.
At first, she's guided by Mr. Butterworth, the headless butler who knows more than he lets on, but as you progress, you'll meet new NPCs willing to give you a helping hand. The toys that Minerva deploys to spray enemies with bullets are not here only weapons. Minerva is armed with a very special lantern that can hurt the undead creatures roaming the mansion, although she'll need to use it sparingly since it requires stamina, just like her dodge move.
The combination of stationary toys and the lantern should be sufficient for Minerva to repel any type of enemy, but things are as easy as they sound. In fact, Don't Die Minerva! is quite difficult even from the first levels. Not to mention that keyboard & mouse controls aren't as tight as they should be, so we'd strongly suggest using a controller instead.
Another drawback that I noticed is the lack of any explanation about the upgrade system or bonuses that some of the gems you find throughout the dungeons offer you. There are gems of different colors that you can use to upgrade skills, as well as gems that can be slotted inside your gear for various bonuses. The red ones, for example, will give you more HP while allowing your toys to apply fire damage to the projectiles they shoot. The blue ones are related to stamina and cold damage.
As you manage to reach higher levels, you'll find more loot that will allow you to perform better in some fights. The gear is very important in Don't Die Minerva!, but it's also very random, so you might have better runs if you manage to find better loot, or absolutely trashy ones.
Unusual difficulty spikes between levels can make the game frustrating, especially if you're not properly geared. Also, a bit more info (in fact, any info) about the game's upgrading and currency systems would go a long way. All in all, even though it's still Early Access, Don't Die Minerva! is very well-polished and deserves your attention if you're into rogue-lite games.
