This week, we’re spotlighting some of the greatest game demos that are available for your gaming pleasure during the Steam Next Fest, an exciting gaming event that is active from February 24th to March 3rd. An interestingly titled game – ‘Into The Restless Ruins’ – has caught our attention, and it is certainly worth being added to your gaming wishlist.
Yesterday’s lunch was a rather bland dish of air-fried pieces of unsuccessful pizza dough from a not-so-successful trial run. I’ve endeavored to master the art of making a seamless pizza as one of my new year resolutions. This might not embody the typical austerity spirit of new year resolutions, but it is my aim nevertheless. We can relate the ideal pizza slice to a natural phenomenon that defies both spiritual and secular interpretations of morality, like the way hailstones relentlessly shape the word ‘bum’ into soft cement.
Would my pizza dough be more successful if I’d requested assistance from the harvest maiden in ‘Into The Restless Ruins,’ who could possibly fulfil my desire? It’s a twist of irony – ‘harvest’ here refers not to the grain, I often forget, but to carnage.
‘Into The Restless Ruins’ is an interesting blend of roguelite, dungeon crawler, and deckbuilder genres. While this might not sound appealing to everyone, the factor that made me pursue it further is the concept of building your own dungeon with the cards in your deck. Reminds me of my darling old, Warhammer Quest, where a randomized dungeon tile deck added a mystery element to the game. This one brings that concept to life by asking the players themselves to build and plan their route before each run.
Set to a catchy 80’s synthpop soundtrack, the game begins each night with a five card hand of various tiles. You get low corridors or junction points and sometimes, rooms that offer special effects. You have three building points that you can use to place three tiles. The aim is to go from the entry point to the exit by unlocking deeper sections of the dungeon with the help of collectibles. Meanwhile, you also need to manage your health and ensure you reach back at the entrance after each run before being depleted of health due to attacks or due to the torch dying out.
Your character engages in combat automatically, but the player can enhance the existing stance by maneuvering their position. Every enemy you slay drops glims, and once you’ve collected enough, the harvest maiden will reward you with new room cards. Although a risky counter fills up each night at the top of the screen, you can choose to keep your runs shorter and safer.
The theme of the game is rooted in Scottish folklore, particularly incorporating the concept of the harvest maiden. Story strings are kept minimal during the runs, but the room tiles reveal minor details adding more depth to the game. However, a favorite aspect of the game, at least for me, was that I wasn’t able to pull up the map during the runs, forcing me to remember plans and navigate solely through memory.
If I had one word to describe my personal experience with ‘Into The Restless Ruins,’ it would be “unputdownable”. It’s a game that demands undivided attention and makes you want to come back for more. An impressive contribution by Wales Interactive and Ant Workshop Ltd that we’re eagerly looking forward to. It’s expected to be available on Steam starting this April. Certainly one to add to your wishlist, the demo for ‘Into The Restless Ruins’ is available to play now.
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