AK-xolotl: How NOT to Make a Roguelite

AK-xolotl was a game I was highly anticipating... and it's pretty disappointing. It's a game with a solid foundation and... that's about it. It's an Early Access title marketed as a 1.0 release, and while I look forward to seeing with the developer adds to it, for now it's kinda... meh.
Twitch Channel: / sl1ppey
Music (in order):
AK-xolotl Main Menu Theme
Final Fantasy VII OC ReMix by MkVaff: "Cosmo" - • Final Fantasy VII OC R...
Sonic the Hedgehog - Angel Island Zone ▸ Funk Fiction Remix - • Sonic the Hedgehog - A...
Escape from the City (City Escape) from Sonic Adventure 2 ▸ Super Lofi 64 remix - • Escape from the City (...
0:00-1:22 Intro
1:23-3:02 Weapons & Items
3:03-3:52 Enemies & Repetition
3:53-5:49 Metaprogression
5:50 Conclusion
#akxolotl #roguelite #gaming #sl1ppey
JJJreact

[@irondragon9775]

This one goin viral, I'm calling it, here at under 1k veiws but this hitting at least 500k

[@sl1ppey]

If this comment is correct I’ll eat my sock. EDIT: sock eating will be present in tiny rogues video.

[@notretrojim]

@@sl1ppey so?

[@Blitzbogen]

@@sl1ppey proof or ban

[@BlackSheep205]

​@@sl1ppeyWe're waiting

[@armandbier2502]

@@sl1ppey Eat it

[@MrSaviorHD]

This 100% could be a great game if it found its identity. I’m surprised it wasn’t in early access. They need more content stat.

[@eightcoins4401]

Yea to me it looks too much like Blazing Beaks

[@bugjams]

It's 100% a case of "omg guys we made a funny game about the heavily meme'd animal!! 😂😂😂 so FUNNY LOLZ! Epik internetz humor!!!" and expecting that to carry the game. Almost certainly made for normies who buy anything with memes in it and react channels on youtube. These games tend to have pretty piss-poor gameplay as a result.

[@amongsussyballs]

it had a demo

[@get_that_money664]

​@@bugjamsreddit humour pissed on my wife

[@JamJuice101]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@bugjams ok this entire comment is just a nothing burger that completely fails on making on point critique towards this game. next time actually BE critical of a game, you just sound like you’re pulling shit out of your ass. When criticizing a game you’re talking about you’re experience with it, like how it plays, how it feels and etc; don’t just look at it and say “bad game”.

[@nullius9807]

If replay-ability wasn’t your top priority for a roguelike, you shouldn’t be making a roguelike.

[@sl1ppey]

I think they were TRYING to go for replay-ability, they just kinda fumbled it up.

[@RushWheeler]

Cult of the Lamb has left the chat*

[@sdsdfdu4437]

This isn't a roguelike

[@koshakvesely8186]

​@@RushWheelerCult of the Lamb is a farming simulator, not an action roguelike

[@Zellonous]

RogueLite not rogue like. Big difference. Kids these days don't know what a rogue like is because nobody really makes them anymore. They want lites because mindless action with low rpg elements is the way of the future. I say it's because we as a society are becoming less patient and less intelligent as time goes on. I mean we have people using the video speed up features of KZbin to make people talk faster because a 15 minute video about something you clicked on because you enjoy the topic (right?) is too long to sit through.

[@sl1ppey]

Maybe the beer item being bad was the devs' way of telling me to stop drinking

[@runekongstadlarsen7569]

based

[@climbumbiamember8564]

Nah

[@TheRedRobin96]

Ha

[@TheRedRobin96]

There's a pretty fun rouguelite game that my friends and I played is a game called Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos. It's pretty basic as far as games go but it has pretty satisfying progression.

[@ArchaicArcadiac]

Like the ciggarettes in Gungeon. Exept those could synergy with weapons so...

[@chaoticcar6231]

Now if they made the baby axolotls GUNS you could shoot and use...

[@skapaloka222]

this is actually a million dollar idea holy shit

[@SpeakerTerenus]

​@@skapaloka222Try Voidigo!

[@pitchblendeprotogen]

​@@SpeakerTerenusYes absolutely. Some comments are also mentioning that the axolotl setting feels forced. Voidigo's absolutely isn't, its cursed setting is fully leaned into. The blocking and jump/stomp mechanic also fixes the issue with short-range weapons being undesirable (there's a whole set of melee) by offering a way to close the gap. There's also like 4 different bosses per stage

[@EngineerMonkey-zp3yj]

Enter the Gungeon's Bubble Blaster?

[@aonodensetsu]

they would literally be AKxolotls then

[@SalusFuturistics]

The Devs getting their #1 Indie Game Prize stolen maybe was foreshadowing

[@sl1ppey]

Wait that was a thing that happened?? EDIT: oh my god it is. Just google “ak-xolotl prize stolen” for anyone wondering.

[@krio3060]

Cant find anything about that. i just get links to key sites when i google it

[@SalusFuturistics]

@@sl1ppey Hilariously, that's how I first heard of the Game.

[@JamJuice101]

What the hell something like that happened?!? Dude that’s a terrible thing to happen to them. Sure their game was not well put out but I don’t think they’re deserving of something this awful.

[@Boamere]

That’s hilarious

[@tickleberrypie8662]

As a Kickstarter backer of this game I 100% agree with everything you've said. Luckily it looks like the devs are really putting in some leg work to address the criticism with there already being a new update to fix some of the problems mentioned (specifically the food system and lasting hitboxes) but something they still haven't fixed that really gets on my nerves is the secret rooms. Whenever you go to enter one the model for the floor clips over your character when you walk in. like did no testers even try this big mechanic in the game??

[@sl1ppey]

I feel stupid because I didn’t even know secret rooms were a thing in this

[@cerisecattowo]

holy fuck- that's fucked up

[@nathanblackburn1193]

I think the game would be better if it leaned harder into the customisable axolotl babies idea, like one of The Binding of Isaac's best parts is all the characters and how they vary in gameplay especially with the tainted characters and how extremely gimmicky they are, if you could go that level of crazy with the axolotl customisation then I think that'd really help the game stand out

[@sl1ppey]

I agree with this too. I was expecting something akin to the Chao garden from SA2 where they have randomized stats that you can customize, but instead it’s just… what we got lol

[@PieroMinayaRojas]

Tainted characters were only a thing in Repentance

[@omgemojixd9739]

@@PieroMinayaRojas there were still up to like, 14-ish characters before tainted ones came in with their own HP, DMG, and sometimes entire mechanics with The Forgotten, Keeper, ???, Azazel, etc.

[@ICallSnax]

couldve just said no fishing at the beginning and saved me 7 minute

[@runo4155]

fr

[@RushWheeler]

Enter the Gungeon doesn't have fishing though

[@bananaisgreat3230]

​@@RushWheelerthere is a fish gun though

[@maxibon7750]

I've sunk 11+ hours into AK-xolotl and I think all the points made are very valid. The game gets heavily carried by its aesthetic, music, and smooth movement. However some other problems not mentioned is the lack of seeing new stuff. Apparently a mimic chest exists in this game which I would of never known if I didn't look through the achievements as I haven't seen it spawn in my 11+ hours of game time. Some guns and items I've purchased are so extremely rare that I would buy them and never see them ever like EVER. I also find the balancing of most the guns to be atrocious and same for the items (this was in the video but it's like REALLY BAD), the order of best guns goes 1. starting sniper, 2. Ratvolver (epic pistol) and 3. nothing else because why would you use anything else besides the GREEN MOST COMMON GUNS which are better then their rarer counterparts. I found the reasoning for this poor balancing is the fact the rarer guns have a good upside but then have a downside completely negating their usefulness. The same goes for the items but it's not nearly as bad as a lot of the items do good and cool things! However some guns might be good and I wouldn't know as even though I've unlocked most the guns I haven't been able to use them sooooo take that what you will. Another problem not mentioned is just how many glitches there are, for when sl1ppey died to nothing that was because the frogs that land and leave fire and the skunks which leave a trail of acid, all have the visuals of their damaging fire and acid not match to the time the fire and acid's damage actually leave so you will see nothing but unlucky because oops you just walking into invisible fire. Another bug I found which actually helped the runs was that if you buy the left most item in the shop and then reroll, the middle option if it's an item will be free and you can reroll once more to get another free item if you're lucky which you wouldn't be able to if you just bought the middle or right options. Some others are corners break a lot of AI, chests can block doors, last stage enemies just fly into the corners, half the items which work like money equals power and less health equals more power don't scale right and buying an item even if you have 500 and spend 70 will reset your damage. Overall these critics would be unfair if the game was early access and instead could just be called points to improve but unfortunately it's 1.0. I do hope for more to be added to this game as it's got a lot of potential in it's framework and IT'S SO GOD DAMN CUTE AND HORRIFIC. Overall I have to give the game in it's current state a 4 sexy smouldering axolotls out of 10. Great video.

[@i.minpayne2561]

i ain't readin' allat

[@prebuiltmite1475]

​@@i.minpayne2561I did

[@pannnella]

@@i.minpayne2561well I am 🧌🧌🧌

[@DylBro101]

I remember seeing this game's trailer and i already knew it wasn't gonna be a good game on release. It looked like it lifted literally everything from gungeon or nuclear throne and then added Axolotls and said HEY BUY THIS GAME! ITS LIKE THOSE OTHER COOL GAMES BUT WITH AXOLOTLS! And that was the entire appeal

[@lazydroidproductions1087]

Yeah. It’s like, I’ve got Gungeon, if I wanted Nuclear Throne I could get it but I don’t particularly because I like the game-pace of Gungeon. I don’t need your axolotl game, I’ve got Pungeon. It has guns and puns.

[@patrickshaw411]

I’ve never been a fan of games where it’s like: woah, guys! Look at these quirky, cute animals. Now they’re shooting guns! Isn’t the super quirky?!?

[@bagandtag4391]

tbf that's literally every single top down shooter nowadays

[@josephlopez1758]

As an axolotl lover it worked on me

[@patoastral2118]

Its absollutely charming, its inspired but ir wanted to be diferent, too bad ir couldnt

[@TheMilitiaGamer]

You made such an awesome well put video and actively deterred me from spending my money on a game on a game I hadn't realized wasn't what I had thought ir originally to be. Thank you, I have subbed, and I hope to hear/see more well made videos such as this

[@sl1ppey]

Thank you a bunch dude. Means a lot.

[@yaboi3839]

Yeah me 2. I was gonna get it.

[@anthonynguyen1289]

Obviously keep an eye on it cause it might improve over time. Like this game should have been an early access title where they can introduce new items and guns and balance them more and possibly remove them if deemed too broken or bad for the game. Seeing as this is the full release you just have to hope they do updates which add more content and improve the mechanics. Massive updates for full release games is different to early access games that can push small updates more frequently to get community feedback if it was good or bad. Like full release games get more flack and in trouble if they remove something that was introduced in update 2 just because it clashed with update 4.

[@Vex35]

A very similar game to this is Soul Knight a free mobile game

[@thetechguy8501]

u made the right choice, played the game on a friend's steam account. everything this video said was very true. emphasis on lack of variety and content, runs got stale quick. HOWEVER, i feel like by the time it has a 2.0 the game will be fantastic, i see the update roadmap and i have high hopes for it in the future, but for now, too repetitive.

[@jbrenneman8526]

As another huge fan of roguelites and roguelikes, meta progression is what always makes me lean towards the latter. Meta progression can be great when it's unlockables to ease into new gameplay mechanics, but permanent stat buffs like flat damage or health up are almost always a recipe for disaster since it's when you have scaling player skill and scaling strength it's very easy for the game to become stale as it becomes almost impossible to die without trying.

[@FaitalRyuu]

Don't you mean the former? Roguelikes never have meta-progression. You progress through roguelikes by what you learn through playing the game. Some roguelikes will incorporate a save system to let people who genuinely struggle with character permadeaths give them more chances to progress further, but there's no meta-progression.

[@lazydroidproductions1087]

Yeah. I think Hades managed to balance that decently by having a robust story which the power increase tied into but generally I prefer Gungeon-like metaprog where there’s a lot of stuff for me to unlock over time to add to runs. I also like that it gives me reasons to continue getting the metaprog currency afterwords where as a lot of roguelikes have it so when you are done with the metaprog, that’s it, like Slay the Spire, which also doesn’t even really have that much metaprog and honestly could have potentially even done without it in the first place

[@RyanGaryLeTomo]

​@@FaitalRyuui think they were saying that their dislike of meta progression is what steers them towards the games that lack it

[@VynalDerp]

As someone who never played any roguelike game before, I'll be honest, meta progression feels like it sucks. Peopld talk about how great Cult of the Lamb's is but when I played it as my first roguelike, I was seriously disappointed. The gameplay was mechanically good - but I have experience playing colony management games like Rimworld... In the first zone, my cult was so well-developed I felt like I either had to get a BS room (traps everywhere) or actively try to die by sabotaging myself or something. I never beat the game either- I got sick of having to choose between making my cult happy by doing requests that required me to visit previous zones (making progressing & managing the cult harder) *or* choosing to progress the actual game and actually try to finish it. I chose neither. I dunno why people love fishing so much. I didn't even know it was a mechanic until the third zone - I never had to use it once until I read you needed to fish to unlock some stuff

[@aldar8240]

@@VynalDerp the fishing thing is, to my knowledge, a running joke because a lot of games have weirdly elaborate fishing minigames for no reason. As far as cult of the lamb's meta progression, that's more a case of that game in particular than a flaw in the concept. Another way that sort of system is done, rather than how cult of the lamb does it, is for the meta progression to permanently add items which can possibly show up in future runs, essentially growing the variety of item drops and making things more interesting without actually improving your base power in any way.

[@Oguh608]

Many would probably think you are too hard on the game but like you showed, they called themselves the ULTIMATE roguelike. Kinda asking for a critical review.

[@Quantumact2908]

another thing you didnt mention that i felt was noteworthy immediately upon seeing it was the artstyle, it looks way too similar to gungeon, or even nuclear throne to be a coincidence for me edit: chill, i literally stated in replying to the guy who made the video that it isnt a nitpick, just something i thought was worth noting. the artstyle isnt bad by any means, it was just another similarity i noticed

[@sl1ppey]

I thought about including how the dodge animation looks exactly the same but I didn’t want to come off as too nebby lol

[@Quantumact2908]

@@sl1ppey a fair point, and i didnt really mean what i mentioned as a nitpick, just something i thought was interesting

[@sAUFvevo]

@@sl1ppey I can let that one slide personally, there are only so many ways to animate a dodge roll in this kinda style tbh.

[@Topunito]

I mean there's only so many ways to make a pixel art style fitting for a game with this kind of gameplay and tone. That said- when the game doesn't seem to set itself apart in other ways either, it's more of a problem when even the artstyle is unremarkable.

[@penntopaper9305]

the art style is literally gungeon but with the axolotl follower from cotl LMFAO

[@torvus249]

I ended up refunding the game when I bought it. Lack of variety and the unnecessary weapon restrictions kinda killed it for me.

[@meatballmustard7658]

this channel has potential and I wana stick around to see what it will become

[@WangleLine]

Same here!! Excitedly waiting for more

[@meatballmustard7658]

@@WangleLine as a huge rogue like nerd I hope he does more content on that

[@sl1ppey]

I don’t plan on limiting myself to a single genre of game, however after playing a bit of Nuclear Throne and eventually Voidigo I’ll probably make a follow up to this video about a few rogues I like and why I think they work well.

[@meatballmustard7658]

@@sl1ppey is it just top down shooters rogue likes that you enjoy or is it the genre

[@NoRoomForErrorAgain]

@@sl1ppey Haven't played it but heard good things about it: Skul The Hero Slayer

[@Fan-dh9hw]

As an aspiring dev triying to make a rogue-lite, this video was pretty useful and educative, thanks!

[@legacytag]

It'll probably get post launch support at the very least. The general consensus tends to be that the gameplay loop is a bit light on content which is something I tend to feel when playing it too, but there's definitely room to add things. I look forward to more updates dropping for it.

[@chuckles2364]

One of the best negative reviews I've seen in a good while, good video.

[@sl1ppey]

Thanks m8

[@JamJuice101]

Welp it wasn’t the best but I’m looking forward to the roadmap they’ve got planned.

[@sl1ppey]

Right, I'd rather have post launch support than none at all. I just wanna fish man.

[@ciciosweep]

Everytime i see "Roadmap" i remember Overwatch2, and i'm hopping i'm wrong with this company, bc we love Axolots

[@pancake-zw2qc]

​@@ciciosweepthink about dead cells

[@JamJuice101]

@@ciciosweep I think this company is a small indie team, not those corporate AAA companies like Blizzard, they almost always ruin their games especially those that are live service, this one had a bit of a rough start. We just gotta wait and see how the devs manage this game.

[@triggerhappy4199]

Same it looks fun when it gets more content I’ll probably pick it up when it gets more updates rn it’s a bit too little in the content literally everything else is fire

[@ShizzyHollywood]

Great video, agree 100%. After a few hours with the game, I saw everything it had to offer and it was just Gungeon at Home. Having to run back and forth with the Axolittles every time (with the rooster screeching at you each time) really makes me wonder wtf the devs were thinking. Roadmap looks promising though so hopefully this ends up being good in a year.

[@MiruninOath]

i wish the devs the best and genuinely hope they can turn this ship around and make a good game, but the fact they released it like this with that much confidence is just sad.

[@umbaupause]

I remember playing the demo, and thinking "Wow, this sure makes me hope the full game will have a LOT more content". Which is kinda the exact opposite of the one that got me into roguelites back then, the original Binding of Isaac flash demo. That one had SO much content already that I needed to get the full game. Well, it is what it is.

[@Levi___Ramirez]

Hey! Not a dev for this game BUT I made a rougelite last year called Shoot Trip Die, and a lot of the problems you had with THIS game seemed to also be reflective in my game. Not so much the meta-progression and the price but more so the small pool of items, minimal bosses and non-unique characters (For reference, my game only has 1) I never played this game, I don't like rougelites with meta-progression as I feel it kinda ruins the point of the genre, but it was interesting to see your points of veiw on the genre that I may not have accounted for when making MY game. I'm working on an update for my game and feedback like this, even though not aimed at my project, helps more than you realize Great video! Very high quality!

[@sl1ppey]

Hey I really appreciate the comment! I’m not a game dev nor have I ever tried to create a game, but it’s cool to hear it helped you! Didn’t think my rambling could ever be so productive lol

[@ultimaxkom8728]

Roguelites are with meta-prograssion. Roguelikes are without meta-prograssion. But either way I don't like such specifications to differentiate the latter.

[@thetechguy8501]

@@ultimaxkom8728 yeah so true. at this point im so confused because games like gungeon are still considered roguelites, even tho theres no permanent progression(only unlocks in shops and what not) like deadcells forging or hades miror. at this point we might as well put all roguelikes and roguelites under the same boat

[@headphonesaxolotl]

@@ultimaxkom8728 Wondering where 20XX/30XX (The only rouge games I ever really got into) fall. Sure, both have progression, but 30XX seems to be more of a "lite" with the Memoria upgrades while 20XX seems to be more of a "like" since the permanent upgrades essentially amount to "Free weapon+armor at the start of each run, unlock new items to appear, and start the game with some items."

[@KainYusanagi]

@@thetechguy8501 That is incorrect; Gungeon has permanent progression, even if you discount item unlocks (which you totally shouldn't, because they can have very strong effects on any given run, unlike AK-xolotl). The Sorceress blesses you, for example, The Bullet That Kills The Past has to be assembled from its four parts, but after that initial run you only need pick it up from the Blacksmith. Shortcut Elevators are tied to meta-progression, too.

[@zFrizzi]

It's always a pleasure to see someone talking about Gungeon, i genuinely think it is inside the top three rougelikes of all time, along with Hades and Slay the Spire or Risk of rain 2. And it's my personal favorite.

[@sl1ppey]

Only after making this video did I realize how many people out there aren’t fond of Gungeon. Just goes to show no game is for everyone.

[@kodeytheneko]

I feel like every risk of rain 2 run feels the same for me due to lack of weapon variety. I'm basically playing the same build every run.

[@zFrizzi]

@@kodeytheneko I haven't played risk of rain myself, I usually include it in the top because everyone says it's amazing and because how mechanically different it is from most rougelikes

[@zFrizzi]

@@sl1ppey most of the people I've heard say that they don't like gungeon don't really like the rougelike genre as a whole. Part of the reason I usually put Hades at #1 (objectively) is because most of the people I mentioned before make an exception and actually love the game even tho they aren't fans of the genre.

[@kennyryan4173]

you try Undermine. It's really good.

[@frogborger]

Excessive metaprogression in a roguelite always hurts them way too much. I always hate when I start a new roguelite and I get barely any items aside from a handful of the same ones until I lose a few runs, it's kinda what killed Dead Cells for me. Then sometimes the opposite issue happens later on, where all of the stuff you've unlocked makes the early game way too easy and it might as well be skipped. Sidenote, try Barony and Nuclear Throne for very low metaprogression games, they're some of my favorite in the genre.

[@luckerooni1153]

The piano remix of City Escape was fitting since those Axolotl pets reminded me exactly of Chaos, except the charm of the Chaos was you were basically taking a break from the major progression to take care of them because they were cute and it was fun to collect different kinds and just be silly with them in between all of the chaos and action of progressing through Sonic Adventure 2/Battle. You end up artificially creating a progression route with Chaos because you just like interacting with them, they had Tomagotchi vibes.

[@sl1ppey]

That’s pretty much what I was anticipating as well. Maybe not as in depth as the chao garden, but at least something a little more substantial than what it is currently.

[@2leftthumbs]

VERY thorough, succinct, and well organized video! Well done :) I'm not sure if you plan to carve a niche for yourself after this critiquing roguelikes? But if so, I'd love to send you an early look at 'Schism'! There'd be no obligation to make a video. But hopefully you'd like what you see, and feel inspired to talk about it :)

[@ethangnasher3848]

Holy Molly, mr. 2leftthumbs.

[@Keyborder1234]

i must say i had a similar thing with cult of the lamb, the runs felt too similar with too little items. ITs very frustrateing

[@CartoDarko]

fr, i'm sorry cotl fans but that game kinda sucked ass

[@sl1ppey]

100% agree. The rogue elements suffered at the expense of the games pretty robust metaprogression, which is where I think it shines, but ultimately causes it to not really have any “legs” if that makes sense.

[@iconica9516]

cult of the lamb suffers where this game does just not as bad since the city manager side I'd actually really well made and charming it carries the subpar rougelike gameplay but AK has both sides be medicore so it's just all fucked up they try and tone down the unlocks so that the meta progression isn't cruel is why I think these games end up with repetitive runs

[@xelith6157]

I agree. I 100%ed the game after the latest update. I love COTL and enjoyed my time with it but the amount of runs I had to do drove me insane. To fully complete it, you have to go 10 runs per biome, plus the purgatory where a row has like 7 runs. I ended up zoning out and chilling for the most part but my god did I dread it.

[@Shizkeb]

The game feel’s underdeveloped tbh. You don’t really do anything impactful with the cultists. They just exist to give you unlocks that give you +1 extra dmg or something useless. Only for them to die in like 2 hours or something, sure you can revive them but eh? The game would be 100% better if you had to raise your cultists so they could go with you and fight instead of turning them into a tiny demon thing that does essentially nothing. The rougelike elements feel so dry because the weapon variety is useless because you are just going to end up with whatever gives you the highest dmg. Cult of the lamb shouldn’t have been a rougelike, imo it would’ve been cooler and longer lasting if it was an action rpg with companion raising mechanics.

[@addison_v_ertisement1678]

6:39 Why do people think that tou can't criticize a game if it's in beta? The devs won't know what to improve unless they're told or play it themselves.

[@sl1ppey]

Dude I've had multiple people say "Chill man's it's only 1.0" like wtf are we seriously at the point where games advertised as full releases can't be criticized if its only on its day 1 build??

[@scoinc2469]

Fish can roll.

[@markedforstrike]

I just encountered you for the first time and want to thank you for good time. I even took some notes on progression systems, keep it up!:)

[@OkayHippo]

Simply untrue. I've never fished in Gungeon 😤 I've not played Wooperlite yet but I'm really disappointed to hear that it's been received this poorly. I was really hyped for it. I'll probably wait til a sale and more content to come out before I play it.

[@sl1ppey]

It's not TERRIBLE, it's just not fully realized yet. As of now it's just Gungeon-lite, which is kind of ironic because it costs 4 dollars more than Gungeon.

[@elijah5573]

i was so hyped for akolotl, im disappointed that it doesnt seem that great but thank you for letting people know ill be waiting to buy till they add/change some things

[@MiguelRPD]

Same here. I'm so burned by awful games this year, like the Calisto protocol, that I need to be careful where I'm putting my money towards. Even indie games. But if this game gets more enemies I'll buy it.

[@elevan7]

Axolotles are my favorite animals for sure and this game definitely caught my attention when i first saw it. I really hope the devs can bring this game to it's full potential because i would really hate an idea like this be wasted. I think it might have been rushed and if they spend a little more time making quality of life changes then i think this game can be so much better

[@tvcat5096]

Have you played soul knight?

[@singularityraptor4022]

Voidigo is waay better and is basically what this game tries to achieve but failed(voidigo was in EA a long time before AK Xolotl was even announced) You should review it (I also saw your steam review of Xolotl lol)

[@psychicchicken5263]

Voidigo is great, can confirm. (Although the levels can drag on and on, especially post-loop which is a shame, but it's still fun)

[@stereoplexus]

Loved the video! Roguelites are my favorite genre and this video is so well constructed. All your points are valid and make perfect sense. I also appreciate that you didn't just bash on it, but you also gave praise for what the game did well. Subscribed!

[@sl1ppey]

Thanks! Appreciate it a lot.

[@generic840]

Horaay my unpopular opinion is no longer unpopular i can exit the cave

[@sl1ppey]

what was the cave like

[@generic840]

@@sl1ppey it was dark, cold, and filled with moss Yet it was preferable than to pass 1 minute more giving the generic cutesy journalist bait game another chance

[@generic840]

@@jazzuccivod whatever i concider to be "lazy quirky" games, Its purely personal but this game to me only existed to cash-in on that and how well it did in game news sites proves it to me Another example would be skatebird that game disapointed me so hard idk what did they messup for the full game to be worse than the early demo

[@generic840]

@@jazzuccivod its fair if you like them, i just dont, and im some rando on the internet you dont know so dont worry much about it

[@luichinplaystation610]

4:48 "Let's you carry 2 secondary weapons"

[@waffles6527]

not gonna lie this video made me want to actually play the game, I think a lot of roguelikes can be really overwhelming and one with a more digestible amount of content sounds nice for a more casual experience even if it leaves more hardcore roguelite fans wanting more

[@sl1ppey]

If you’re looking for a simple “bite sized” rogue type game, I’d highly recommend Tiny Rogues. It’s probably the most simplified game I’ve played of its kind while being pretty forgiving with difficulty. It’s only in early access but it’s also just $6. I’ve put about 50 hours into it so it was definitely a good value for me lol. Also Voidigo is, quite frankly, fucking incredible and has several difficulty options that make it much more accessible.

[@Harryhaidao]

You might also enjoy “Going Under” as well, it’s more of a one time roguelike with a pretty funny theme focus on the dungeons being failed start up businesses.

[@waffles6527]

I've played Going Under, it's a great game.@@Harryhaidao

[@UnOc2]

I was against this game from day one. It honestly made me frustrated that nobody was pointing out how similar to Gungeon it looked. "Oh, but the game has cute animals, and that's what is important!" Get the hell out of here. 💀

[@gamingdudedonal3312]

Axolotl is just that one person who forgot that the internets axolotl phase emded in 2021

[@terracottakitty1410]

I think this is one of those games that can and probably will be good in the future. It has a lot of potential, and what it does have is a lot of style. It'll probably be great in the next year or so, but my problem is that it should be good enough on release. I know it's an indie title, but why do we have to wait for it to be better then just okay after its release?

[@rosaurias9998]

My favorite animal is the axolotl and i love rogelites/rogelikes and i got so hyped about this game, it felt as the kind of thing that my game collection needed but, well, here we are.

[@adogewithwifi1652]

For how goofy the game is you’d expect the guns to be extra crazy or really goofy

[@Nin_tony]

mans just described every roguelite

[@kleptomaticagain]

It seems like a good game that needs to be fleshed out. A lot.

[@OctaHeart]

Very rare to see KZbin recommend me a good channel! Very nice review, I'd love to see more like these in the future on other roguelites too, like Nuclear Throne or Vampire Survivors.

[@sl1ppey]

Thank you so much! I don't plan on limiting myself to rogues, but I do eventually plan on making a follow up video to talk about a lot of the rogue games people have mentioned in the comments. Appreciate the kind words.

[@jemmerllast8492]

"fishing is the main content of these games, lets be real" Ah I see you too have played Silksong!

[@MrFulldawa]

It was on my wishlist but after watching this video, I might wait some time until things are polished and/or the price drops. Thanks for the video and the heads-up!

[@d.b.scoville]

What are your thoughts on Nuclear Throne. A lot of these criticisms also apply to that game. (Lack of Weapon and enemy variety, you can only carry two weapons, same boss every floor, upgrades that sometimes don’t feel impactful)

[@sl1ppey]

I know that game was a big inspiration for this one, but I purposefully didn't mention it because I haven't played it myself. I know it's regarded as being really good, but I'd have to play it myself to give an opinion on it. Also thanks for watching!

[@Error_-rt9mw]

I finished both NT and ETG so when i saw this i bought it at day 0. It strongly remind of NT but as the problem that is progression is relay slow if we compare the two games, also NT does not have a lot of enemy but as a lot of different characters that make the game completely different to play from a run to an other. I think the biggest problem with this game is the fact that the meta progression is slow but not rewording... You spend 3 / 4 runs to unlock a new weapon and it barely as that wow effect.

[@lodthefraud4993]

@Error_-rt9mw That’s really helpful, thanks for your take on things! I was also reminded of NT so I was curious to hear how it held up in comparison.

[@psychicchicken5263]

Nuclear Throne has over 100 weapons. It also has much shorter levels, and a good amount of bosses, meaning you'll be quickly fighting new bosses. And yes, the game has actual balanced upgrades which might seem underwhelming compared to Gungeon, but that's because Gungeon is hilariously unbalanced. (Not bashing Gungeon or anything, I actually really like that game. Just sharing my opinion).

[@crucible1084]

i think nuclear throne is everything akxolotl wants to be u have access to all the weapons, they just drop the further you get into the run even if its lacking in weapons atleast compared to gungeon (which isnt a fair comparison), what its lacking in, it makes up for with its characters unique abilites, crown modifiers, and the mutation system the mobs are way better than akxolotl, and its insanely chaotic, while somehow being fair

[@Grimjeans]

Ive had this in my wishlist forever, cause it looked really cute and i adore roguelites.. disappointing that it doesnt have a lot of replayability....the 1 thing a roguelite really needs. Thanks for the informative video :)

[@_G.C]

Small creators like this are the backbone of youtube. I hope your channel gets big and strong one day, so eat your greens

[@O_Rei]

There being no alternative bosses is the main thing that kept me from coming back to the game after a few hours of play throughout three days. The lack of gun variety was a close second.

[@Hirotechnics]

If anyone want's to play this, but an actually good Roguelike, try playing Voidigo. Similar art style, but actually full of content, neat mechanics, and lots of wacky and fun moments. Probably my favorite roguelike of 2023, hands down.

[@solairedude7119]

Nuclear throne the goat exists

[@prophecyfulfiller]

FINALLY SOMEONE MENTIONS VOIDIGO I CANT BELIEVE HOW CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED IT IS

[@grogpod_roguelike_podcast]

@@prophecyfulfiller Voidigo slaps hard

[@cherry__Soda]

I’d love to see a review of nuclear throne, an absolutely incredible rougelite. Another thing is that the community has some great mods too. It’s a small game, but it’s really fun.

[@Dr._Nicolas]

Indie devs that pull the "we will update the game later" is not something i want to see.

[@theplaguedoctor6271]

I love this review very Helpful for both devs and players

[@TheEngineerBanana]

This is pretty much exactly how I feel. I've completed every ounce of Enter the Gungeon and Nuclear Throne and after just a few runs I could tell that this game just was not for me.

[@PancakemonsterFO4]

3:15 sounds like they turned gatling gull into a common enemy then

[@light819]

I mean gungeon had a lot more weapon variety but last I checked it also locked you to 2 weapons and the stupid gungeon theif kept you from being able to test them out before permanently replacing them. I never did like the thief mechanic at all. Then again my favorite roguelike is definitely risk of rain 2 and thats a game where you don't even find different weapons for the most part you just augment your survivor

[@jakerydont]

I see potential in your channel. Keep going

[@jacksinagra4956]

I thought I was insane for having the exact same opinion as you when all the steam reviews claimed this was the "ultimate roguelike". Thank you for reassuring me im not crazy

[@BaconNuke]

As a newbie to Rougelites (only seen gameplay of Gungeon and Issac) Ak-xolotl seems to be a more newbie friendly version of the genre.. the issue is it introduces a lot of the wrong parts of rougelites to new players (ie repeat runs for the random currency to get a new unlock vs repeat runs to just play and test your skills) instead of lightening those aspects to show off the more fun part of them (ie the builds you can pull off with bit of RNG and skill)

[@totallyrealcia]

I really want this to become good, the industry is really lacking in Axolotl based games and I think that's a shame

[@spacebar-vx7ck]

because axolotl based games are CRUCIAL for the industry?

[@totallyrealcia]

@@spacebar-vx7ck of course!!!

[@G3arsandc0gs]

​@@spacebar-vx7ckyes.

[@Swagpion]

​@@spacebar-vx7ckyes they are.

[@mrphill9]

Gungeon isn’t a game, it’s a good damn grindset

[@sl1ppey]

I still have PTSD from escorting the goddamn TV for a whole run to get Robot.

[@ThePhantom4516]

It's overwhelmingly similar to Gungeon & Nuclear Throne whilst ultimately having very little new to offer

[@someBSchannel]

5:05 pls I need an adult -- great video, though! I hope they make some adjustments bc this aesthetic is super cute, and it has a lot of potential!

[@PhoenixKnight777]

Honestly it's a shame to hear this. I've been looking forward to trying this game. But thank you for the honest review! I think I might put it towards Hades or Cult of the Lamb instead.

[@dewroot5176]

Something I like about _Star of Providence_ (aka Monolith) is that most meta options don't make you stronger; they're just additions to the game. You still have to put in the effort and thought into gittin' gud, whether you just broke all four seals, or unlocked everything long ago (like I did).

[@w5ildhero]

I was about to type some longwinded criticism essay about how you clearly haven't played Nuclear Throne but I happened to see the community tab where you just did that exact thing and now I have no criticisms for this video because everything you missed was only because you hadn't done that yet (especially when you mentioned only being able to hold two guns, my immediate response was "But Nuclear Throne???"). Having put decent hours into NT it's obvious this game really looks like it has heavy NT inspiration, and manages to get some of it right, but it doesn't manage to capture that essence of simplicity and mostly comes off as unfinished/repetitive, at least not in its current form. With that out of the way, great video! Glad you're enjoying Nuclear Throne as well!

[@UndesignatedHandle]

Isaac has become such a staple in rpgs, that isaac in thumbnails is just "oh this is roguelike"

[@edenengland1883]

Ak-xolotl reminds me a lot of Nuclear Throne in a lot of ways, the devs clearly really wanted to put a lot of love and effort into the game but by the end kinda just... didnt do so at least Ak-xolotl managed to avoid copying NT's horrendous mechanic of making weapons always drop in the same order making every run the exact same

[@Badmanpuntbaxter]

Nuclear Throne had been sitting in my inventory for years and I never touched it because I'm a gungeon loyalist, I finally tried it out the other day and it was just...not fun? like I was really surprised, it had everything I assumed I liked but it just felt like a slightly better flash game without any of the love. Also way too loud, which I felt was like a basic thing to fix.

[@bucket4202]

nuclear throne is way better imo, extremely chaotic , the characters change up the game a ton, mutations, etc, tons of enemy variety and ways to change up your run, the looping going absolutely crazy, general variety of guns, etc. and the fact that the game is actually fun. most people go into it expecting it to be like gungeon and they get mad when the mechanics arent similar or its too easy for them to die etc, this game just looks like a mishmash of gungeon and NT without any of the things that make them both individually good

[@leafdude92]

Glad i got your video recommended, mate. I agree that when i tried the demo it felt it wasn´t that much content that the finished game but wanna see it improve eventually. Would love to see you cover more overlooked rougelike titles!

[@williamP1307]

I love roguelites too, so when I saw the word "bad" in a thumbnail with Isaac and Gungeon, I was angry, but curious. I'll admit it, you got me. Good video.

[@Coraloner]

Two things: 1st. This is a really well made video, I'm gonna sub because you're a surprisingly enjoyable reviewer. 2nd. I think they basically ripped TBOI's Brimstone and they rely a little too much on item references...

[@sl1ppey]

Appreciate that a lot! Still new to the game and trying to find the type of content that clicks with me.

[@Coraloner]

@@sl1ppey Take your time, some people find what clicks to them more than 5 years down the line so never feel like you gotta rush it. Also, I share the love for fishing in non-fishing games too, my partner showed me Warframe and 60 out of my first 100 hours was spent fishing.

[@englishmailbox8830]

Tbf I think the brimstone item here is just a direct reference to boi.

[@Coraloner]

@@englishmailbox8830 Yeah like the Pea shooter card, but that still applies to what I said, they're relying too hard on references rather than unique things, the beer item for example is actually a reference to a risk of rain mod that references another game, in the mod it's literally just a beer mug that makes you shoot 2 projectiles and one of the projectiles has only 60% damage with a +20 degree angle. So even items that could have been unique by using any object or words is just a direct reference.

[@rihud8343]

the beer effect reminds me of the wiz from isaac@@Coraloner

[@turtleman2370]

I was so excited for this game, I played for 6 hours and I enjoyed my time but I’m already so bored with it. It has sooooo much potential. The road map looks cool and I’m excited for future content. I have high hopes it will become a great game, but for now it’s just not ready and shouldn’t have been released yet.

[@maninyellerhat9663]

Wow man this popped up in my recommended and i assumed you were a pretty large sized channel based on the video quality. Keep up the good work

[@indeimaus]

youtube recommended this one randomly, great video and very surprised to see you didn't already have at least 100k subscribers - good stuff (and yes I've seen content creation SUCKS ;)

[@sl1ppey]

Hey I really appreciate that. Also glad you agree lol. Thank you for the flattering words.

[@msl2299]

Nice video. As a fan of rouge likes it’s pity to hear this one didn’t stick the landing, but alas, not every game can be a winner I guess.

[@glizzysniffer3448]

5:05 The joke is porn addiction 😂😂😂😹😹😹

[@michaelkhiev2070]

Nuclear throne at 480p 30 fps stomps on this game legit 2 secs into me seeing its trailer I thought “this is nuclear throne but trying to be cute and whimsy” nuclear throne soundtrack too gawwwwwdayummm shit is amazing

[@dextew6011]

Me: *Dies in most peacefull way* Some kid on my funeral: Bro, Soul Knight can be installed to PC now. Archievement made: Cheating dead

[@DeltaWing64]

I love the ideas about raising axolotls that you eventually play as with differing stats based off of how you raise them, I think there's something there that has potential.

[@josephgravley3603]

Having a small item pool in a Roguelike isn't inherently bad. Star of Providence (formally Monolith) has a small pool of Weapons and other items. But they all feel different. In fact, the Weapons come with modifiers that change their properties and they're random.

[@0h_hey944]

Saw the trailer, added it to the wishlist and COMPLETELY agree with this video.

[@epic_donut2.5]

It needs more bosses or paths It also needs some of the power ups to be fix like the ability to get rid of the bullets on screen, it's not worth it

[@josherosVT]

this is a bit of a shame cause i love a good pixel art style game 😭 hopefully they can turn it around

[@jaysanj152]

Despite the flaws,i do see some shine in it and i feel like it may improve over time but yes this should have been a early access. Would love to hear your thoughts on other similar titles like Gunfire reborn and Nightmare Reaper,both i really enjoy and now unfortunately in the whole unity situation.

[@sl1ppey]

Those are two I still need to play, with Nightmare Reaper still on my wishlist I think. There’s just too many good games to play man 😩

[@adv78]

Really nice construct criticism with a tangent on what the game does right. Hope the devs can use you're, and the rest of the game playerbase opinions, to improve upon their game to make it something special, cause i really think they were onto some good ideas and the game clearly has lots of care and passion put into it

[@zombiesalmon4997]

The devs 100% thought that they could make the axolotls the main selling point. “Hey if we put axolotls in our game, people won’t care if our game sucks! Axolotls! Everybody loves those!!Aren’t they just so fucking quirky???” Imagine playing Risk of Rain and whenever you unlocked a new character, you had to raise them from birth and breastfeed it and do its fucking taxes and shit ugh just no, let me play as the fucking character already. Weapons and pickups make like 90% of rougelikes. If youve only made like 10 weapons with no variety, uniqueness or identity, you may as well just be making a platformer. Just venting here, there’s nothing i hate more than wasted potential (except maybe terrorism or something i guess idk)

[@nickrogers3624]

I got this game and played several hours of it and it was so fun that I suddenly decided to go back to enter the gungeon and forget the game existed. I am not hating but honestly I have been chasing the feeling that etg gives me and no twin stick has really compared

[@sl1ppey]

ETG was lightning in a bottle, honestly. I can see why those devs kept making updates for it, saying “this is the last one” and then kept making new updates anyway lol

[@nickrogers3624]

@@sl1ppey I keep hoping for an etg 2. It would be so nice to get that or an equivalent. Exit the gungeon really just didn’t hit for me.

[@DrayxArt]

If you want a fun twinstick shooter theres Synthetik, really intense roguelite shooter

[@johnpaulcross424]

I saw this game recommended on my steam page and was excited to pick it up when it went on sale. Sad to hear it’s not as good as other options

[@aseldesu]

youtube shoved your channel into my feed and I enjoyed this a lot; subbed!

[@CorrespondingFear]

I'm sorry but 120 hours is pathetically low

[@sohei6379]

pin of shame, he clearly said "stand by games"

[@tortesh1635]

True

[@KWBR1123]

Is there an acceptable amount of hours to have in a rouguelike?

[@breadguy325]

banger pin

[@grobaryl]

@@KWBR1123 the only acceptable mount of hours you can have in a roguelike is not enough.

[@celestialwaffle1491]

Cult of the Lamb was great, but it set a bad trend of "roguelike + other genre". Games that do that leave the roguelike park half-baked at best, which ruins the whole game for me. Meta progression also sucks, but to a lesser extent. I feel like nowadays roguelikes are made by people who say "I wanna make a roguelike game" rather than "I wanna make a fun new game." Most devs fall back on copying Enter the Gungeon, and don't leave room for new or unique ideas (besides the stuff I just complaned about not liking). It's not just this game, but all newer action roguelikes.

[@sl1ppey]

I think the popularity of Hades also plays into the direction roguelites are going, generally, in that they lean more toward vertical progression rather than horizontal progression like Isaac + Gungeon

[@shavits]

Great video, keep it up!

[@sl1ppey]

Thanks!

[@loch18plus52]

I actually enjoy this and I have a way you detect secret rooms if you see a bump on the wall that looks out of place then that’s a secret room