Is there room around here for two side-scrolling action-platformer games with roguelike elements and pixel art that draw inspiration from various Mega Man games? Quite likely, as both Batterystaple’s 30XX and Knight Shift Games' Elsie were on display at PAX East 2023. But seeing as how I’ve already devotedtwo other previewsto the former,I figured it was time to give Elsie a shot, especially after it had caught my attention even further after a nice chuck of gameplay was shown off during the most recent MIX showcase. And what I quickly discovered was that of the two games, Elsie has the greater opportunity to deliver the more chaotic gameplay…and I kind of love it for that.
The setup for Elsie is simple, as is expected for a throwback like this. A robotic army has attacked Sapir Wharf, home of the Guardians of the planet Ekis, and now the remaining guardian, Elsie, has to track these robots down and teach them a lesson. The standard gameplay you’d expect from something like Mega Man X is on display here, as you run jump, jump, wall jump, dash and shoot your way throughout levels. Simple and effective. The various enemies also put up a nice fight as well, and come in several different varieties, with multiple variants per level. They put up a particularly nice challenge, and feel fair enough to deal with.
What helps you deal with these enemies, though, are the various weapons, upgrades and perks that you can discover or purchase at various vending machines (with one also explicitly stating itself to also be a “bonfire” vending machine, in a cute nod), and this is where the sweet, sweet chaos kicks in. I’ve said this before, but one of the best parts of any roguelike is find the perfect combination of collectible passive effects and weapon upgrades that let you annihilate tougher enemies, and Elsie delivers in that area. By the end of my second run, I had somehow crafted a gun capable of firing multiple projectiles that could bounce off of walls and cause any enemies they killed to deal explosive blasts. I was clearing entire rooms in seconds. The Steam page describes it as a “bullet hell ballet” at one point, except the twist is that you can be the one dishing out bullet hell.
That may make it sound like Elsie could potentially be on the easy side, but trust me, that’s not the case. You still have to manage your loadout, watch out for enemy fire, and most notably, have to deal with massive and imposing bosses. The one at the end of the first level in the demo tested your timing and reflexes, especially as it launched massive beams from above that could drain your health quickly if not careful. I was able to beat them, but now found myself without the health needed to survive the jungle-themed level that followed, especially since I had yet to get used to any new hazards and enemies. C’est la vie.
Elsie also has several other strengths as well, such as its vibrant art style and its pulse-pounding soundtrack, but the important thing is that it’s just plain fun, pure and simple, even if didn’t allow you to rain chaos upon numerous droves of robotic enemies. Then again, as I write this, I also noticed that the game’s official site literally tells you to “embrace the chaos” as well, so it’s clearly still a major selling point. Come for the chaos, but stay for the rock-solid platforming action when Elsie comes out later this year.
