Elsie review

Elsie is a charming anime-flavoured roguelike platform actioner which takes its cues from retro classics like the Mega Man X series. Initially the idea that it is roguelike put me off, as I am a sucker for taut design and trial and error gameplay on titles of this ilk, but I am pleased to say that it is clever, varied, and rewarding to play, and actually benefits from its unpredictable nature, even if it isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel.

Your protagonist Elsie is beautifully realised and plays like a dream with a great arsenal of attacks, as well as being able to leap, climb and slide down surfaces. There is a great dodge and parry system which rewards perfect timing as you are able to carry out satisfying counterattacks if they are pulled off successfully. The Knight Shift team behind the game has imbued Elsie and her world with a distinct Hispanic flavour, and there are some great Latin flourishes, likeable characters, and really impressive voice acting amidst the game design.

There are a decent variety of different environments to play through, each with their own unique enemies and bosses. Some areas have light puzzle elements, and par for the course platform tropes like underwater portions and special conditions that you have to adhere to in order to progress. Defeating each zone, during which you learn the attack blueprints of foes, and rescue NPCS will unlock new equipment, buffs and abilities for you to purchase, with permanent upgrades available at a cost of some quite hefty grinding for in game currency.

The roguelike elements are implemented in a very fulfilling manner, as you genuinely feel Elsie becoming incrementally more powerful and it is a real thrill being able to revisit a previously tough as nails area and take down a boss almost effortlessly once you have enough upgrades and firepower to make light work of them.

The downside to Elsie is that you do run through the game pretty quickly, and that means inevitably there is quite a bit of repetition in the biomes you play in once familiarity sets in. Thankfully the huge range of upgrades including some extremely fun weapon types to experiment, keep things fresh. It may be an ode to classic Capcom platformers of old, but it also lacks the often crushing difficulty of anything involving Mega Man or Zero. I guess that this would be a fine title for those who love speed runs. And there is even a nice bunch of quality of life options including the chance to play Elsie in a fully invulnerable state, and some decent graphical tweaks including the inclusive decision to cater for colour-blind players with a palette switch.

Elsie doesn’t do a great deal new other than to inject a bit of roguelite into a style of game many of us have been playing for decades, but it is a great way to blast away a few hours in a world that looks and sounds just as beautiful as anything you played during the 16-bit era.