Preview – He Is Coming

How do you feel about roguelite autobattlers? I get it. The roguelite sub-genre in general is flooded and has been for some time, but, truly, some of them are really good. If anything, the only thing I hold against the genre is that it makes it hard for the cream to really make it to the top.

He is Coming might fit into that easily overlooked group. It even features pseudo-8-bit-computer graphics that I’ve seen cropping up with greater frequency lately. It’s like the 8088 lives on. However, it might be worth it to check out the demo, especially now that its asynchronous multiplayer mode, Kingmaker, is now featured.

GET A TOWEL

Actually, I think He Is Coming technically qualifies as a roguelike, but I know better than to discuss genre semantics. Autobattling aspect aside, it’s not far off from Rogue. You play as a knightly dude who is dropped into a randomly generated world of branching paths. The paths are dotted with chests full of random treasures, enemies, and other nodes of interest.

You’re tasked with wandering around, trying to buff up your dude. When you find a chest or jewelry box, you get a choice of three items and can pick one to add to your inventory. You have limited inventory space, so it’s about trying to manipulate your stats and perks to create unique and powerful builds. There are a lot of items to find, and He Is Coming has no qualms about letting you stack helmets. Some come with drawbacks, such as draining health at the beginning of a battle, but you can offset it with, for example, a healing item to create some interesting combinations.

Time progresses with each step you take, and the game world shifts through day and night, with enemies becoming active after the sun goes down. The goal of the game is to prepare yourself for a boss battle that arrives after a few days go by. You can view the boss’s stats ahead of time, so you can adjust your strategy. The third boss is a fight against the area’s big bad. Winning that allows you to progress to the next area, I believe, but the demo only includes the first biome.

KING ME

It’s pretty easy to get into, but like many roguelites, you’re at the mercy of the random number generator. With that said, there are so many items in the mix that it forces you to be adaptable. You can’t just rely on the same gear each time, you have to make use of what you can get your hands on.

The Kingmaker mode is pretty similar to the single-player, except the bosses are replaced by other player builds. So, essentially, you’re matched against where somebody else was at that stage of the game. It’s a good way to check out other potential builds. Same basic gameplay flow, however.

It’s an impressively innovative way to add a quasi-competitive element. I just hope that there’s more customization in the full version. I imagine there will be, but right now, it’s basically just battles against generic knight dudes. It works for demonstration purposes but would be underwhelming without more personalization.

ROGUISHLY HANDSOME

He Is Coming is pretty enjoyable from top to bottom. The graphics, while simple, communicate the classic computer aesthetic, and the soundtrack digitally warbles some musical ice cream. It’s all really simple, but feels solid.

I really enjoyed my time with He Is Coming, but I’m not sure whether I’m going to be able to get into it long-term. It’s too early to tell, as certain features might simply not be demonstrated in the, uh, demo. As it stands, it feels like it’s missing a certain something. An all-encompassing spice that flavours the whole pot. A unifying aroma that’s worth stewing in. Something like a narrative, or interesting world-building, or something like that. 

And that’s, perhaps, personal preference speaking. If you’re someone who likes open-ended games like the original Rogue, this will likely satisfy you. At the very least, the demo’s a pretty great way to test the water. Even if it doesn’t enchant you with its taste or envelope you in its smell, it’s a fun diversion when you need one.

The preview was conducted on a pre-release version of the demo. The opportunity was offered by the publisher. Hooded Horse has previously provided the author with a Against the Storm plush.