Othercide isn’t your typical turn-based strategy game. This hauntingly beautiful title from Lightbulb Crew throws players into a dying world overrun by monstrous creatures, all wrapped in a nightmarish aesthetic that blends gothic horror with strategic depth. While challenging and unforgiving, Othercide offers a rewarding experience for those who crave a unique tactical experience.
A World Painted in Blood and Despair
The narrative in Othercide unfolds through environmental storytelling and cryptic messages. You take command of the remnants of the humanity, embodied by the immortal warrior queens known as the Daughters. These spectral figures lead humanity’s last stand against the monstrous Succubus, a being determined to consume all existence.
Graphics: 7
Sound: 9
Controls: 8
Story: 9
Engaging: 6
Overall: 7.8
The story itself is fragmented, pieced together through scattered lore entries and environmental details. This approach may not appeal to everyone, but it creates a compelling atmosphere of mystery and dread. The world itself is a character, a decaying monument to a lost civilization shrouded in perpetual twilight. The stark black and white color scheme, punctuated by splashes of crimson, perfectly captures the game’s oppressive tone.
Daughters of Despair: Building Your Unshakeable Legion
Othercide’s core gameplay revolves around commanding your Daughters on the battlefield. Each Daughter represents a different soldier class, with distinct strengths and weaknesses. The Sentinel, for instance, excels at defense, while the Siren is a master of crowd control. As you progress, you’ll unlock new classes, each offering a tactical twist to your strategies.
Daughters don’t gain traditional experience points. Instead, they improve through a lineage system. When a Daughter falls in battle, you can choose to “Echo” them, creating a new warrior who inherits a portion of the fallen’s memories. These memories function as passive buffs and abilities, allowing you to customize your Daughters for specific roles. This system adds a layer of strategic depth, forcing you to consider the long-term consequences of deploying your warriors.
A Brutal Ballet: Mastering the Art of War
Combat in Othercide is a brutal dance of offense and defense. The game utilizes a unique turn-based initiative system where both you and the enemy act simultaneously. This can lead to some truly chaotic situations, requiring quick thinking and calculated moves to overcome your adversaries.
Each action a Daughter takes consumes a portion of their Action Point (AP) pool. Managing AP effectively becomes crucial, as it dictates how many attacks, movements, and abilities you can utilize within a turn.
The combat itself is a highlight. Animations are fluid and impactful, while the sound design perfectly complements the action, with bone-crushing sound effects and haunting music creating a truly immersive experience.
A Symphony of Suffering: The Beauty of Brutality
Othercide’s greatest strength lies in its art style. The developers have crafted a world that is both beautiful and horrifying. The stark black and white aesthetic, punctuated by splashes of red, creates a haunting atmosphere that perfectly complements the game’s oppressive tone.
The enemy designs are grotesque and unsettling, perfectly capturing the essence of the monstrous Succubus’ forces. The Daughters themselves are elegant and ethereal, their spectral forms a stark contrast to the decaying world around them.
The Relentless Tide: Embracing the Challenge
Othercide is a brutally difficult game. Expect to die. A lot. The roguelike elements ensure each playthrough feels unique, but can also lead to frustration. Losing a Daughter permanently removes them from your lineage, forcing you to rebuild your forces from scratch.
This unforgiving nature won’t appeal to everyone. However, for those who persevere, Othercide offers a deeply rewarding experience. The sense of accomplishment after overcoming a particularly challenging encounter is unmatched.
A Melody of Melancholy: A Soundtrack that Haunts
The soundtrack in Othercide is a melancholic masterpiece. The music perfectly complements the game’s oppressive atmosphere, with haunting melodies and sparse instrumentation creating a sense of unease and despair. The soundtrack is more than just background noise; it’s an integral part of the overall experience.
Is Othercide Right for You?
Othercide is a niche title that won’t appeal to everyone. The brutal difficulty, lack of traditional narrative structure, and repetitive mission objectives may turn some players away. However, for those seeking a unique and challenging tactical experience, Othercide is a must-play.
The game’s beautiful art style, deep strategic mechanics, and haunting atmosphere create a truly unforgettable experience. Just be prepared to die… a lot.
Beyond the Battlefield: Delving into Othercide’s Mechanics
Othercide offers a wealth of strategic options beyond simply commanding your Daughters on the battlefield. The game features a unique resource management system known as “The Crucible.” The Crucible allows you to sacrifice captured essence (obtained from fallen enemies) to unlock upgrades for your Daughters, These upgrades can range from passive stat boosts to powerful new abilities.
Managing The Crucible effectively becomes crucial for long-term success. You’ll constantly be weighing the short-term benefits of sacrificing essence for immediate upgrades against the long-term benefits of empowering your lineage for future generations.
The Weight of Choice: The Agony of Strategic Decisions
Othercide forces you to make difficult choices throughout your playthrough. Will you sacrifice a weakened Daughter to bolster another’s lineage, or will you risk taking them into battle for a potential last stand? These decisions add a layer of emotional weight to the gameplay, making every victory and defeat feel significant.
A Glimpse of Hope: The Light at the End of the Tunnel
Despite its bleak atmosphere, Othercide offers a glimmer of hope. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new abilities and upgrades that empower your Daughters. Witnessing your lineage grow stronger, even in the face of overwhelming odds, is a testament to the human spirit’s enduring resilience.
A Feast for the Strategist: Replayability and Challenge Runs
Othercide boasts a high degree of replayability. The roguelike elements ensure each playthrough feels unique, with procedurally generated maps and enemy encounters. Additionally, the game offers a variety of difficulty settings and unlockable challenges, catering to both casual and hardcore strategy enthusiasts.
The Final Verdict: A Must-Play for Tactical Aficionados
Othercide is a unique and challenging tactical experience that won’t be for everyone. However, for those seeking a deep and rewarding strategy game with a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere, Othercide is a must-play. Just be prepared to face despair, embrace the brutality, and fight for the last flicker of hope in a dying world.