Loot River Reviews
Puzzle element infused in action rogue-like genre stimulates the interest in many ways. The level design built on the core system such as manipulating Tetris-like scaffolds was also okay. However, the game gets dull pretty quick except for the puzzles because the only differentiator is just stepping stones.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Loot River's amazing atmosphere and striking story are not enough to make up for one crucial element: poor gameplay. This author will be hoping for patch notes in the future to see if this game rises to its potential.
Loot River is certainly a roguelike unafraid to explore new waters, but what it lacks is a refined loop. Constantly repeating the run, even in different dungeons, isn’t an easy concept to float. However, the game’s unique movement mechanics and visuals do a lot of work to sell the experience. If you’re looking for a roguelike that’s going to punish you, then check this one out, but try not to be too shocked when you realise there are no life jackets provided.
Loot River has the potential to be a spectacular roguelike experience with its interesting idea of controlling the platforms. However, the application of basic aspects of the experience wasn't done probably and the game feels like an unfinished product.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Loot River, with its unique approach, offers an attractive concept, especially for challenge and puzzle enthusiasts. However, issues related to combat and the game's price on PlayStation consoles may be factors to consider when deciding to try this labyrinthine journey on Sony consoles.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Loot River proposes a mixture of appetizing and ingenious proposals, which are enjoyable for a few hours. But with the passage of time, being half gas in so many aspects ends up taking its toll on the work.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Perhaps the game should have stayed in the early access format as long as possible, rather than rushing to release in the Xbox Game Pass collection. Probably, after a year of patches it will be a completely different game.
Review in Russian | Read full review
On paper, Loot River has it all and that's actually the feeling you get during the first few hours of play. Unfortunately, his excessive punitiveness forcing to start all over again from the beginning, or almost, quickly develops a feeling of weariness.
Review in French | Read full review
Moving blocks and traversing pixelated waters of Loot River is fun, and I hope the developers will show the game’s full potential in the future. But right now, they need to fix it and make the gameplay more diverse.
Review in Polish | Read full review
If it featured more deliberate combat and less ambiguous visuals, Loot River would have been an awesome game due to its uniqueness.
For all the promise that Loot River held with its amalgamation of gameplay features, they, unfortunately, don't gel together well. This is compounded by the technical issues making for an experience that is more frustrating than it is fun.
Unless you’re someone who really enjoys roguelikes as a genre. Then this would be something you could spend a weekend on. Otherwise if you’re only a more casual fan of the style of game, then look at the one that reach a higher standard.
Loot River‘s mileage will vary, with refreshing timing-based combat it can feel like a fun distraction or a listless drift down the river.
It's unfortunate that Loot River feels like an Early Access product in its current state. A scarcity of content and a thoroughly unfinished, unsatisfying feel to the combat, movement, and item discovery makes this title very hard to recommend. The best action-roguelites require rock-solid fundamentals to stand on their own, and a few game-breaking bugs combined with the limited equipment and incorrect item descriptors is cause for concern. Its scant bosses range from easily exploitable to insta-kills, and a deeply unsatisfying core gameplay loop essentially asks players to take on a series of failed runs, with repeat runs betraying how little the game's procedural generation affects these randomized maps. Loot River is a frustrating experience which clearly needed more development time, but hopefully the game finds its footing post-launch.
You know that moment in a good roguelite where you've overextended yourself, but you've also won riches that you don't want to lose before you can bank them? This is what Loot River is built for, ultimately: I race around the world, dashing from one tile to another, breaking off from a little continent, an archipelago of burning wood and then searching, searching for the level's exit as I eye my tiny health gauge with fear. A procedural dungeon-crawler where you can rescramble the once-scrambled levels? Gary Chang would be proud.
A different take on the roguelike genre that has the potential to inspire future projects.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Loot River’s pitch is a strong one. Described as “Dark Souls meets Tetris,” Loot River is a roguelike wherein you move platforms (often in the shape of Tetris blocks) around while fighting enemies in Souls-like combat. It’s a roguelike that combines light puzzle solving in how to navigate the game’s tight corridors using the large platforms (especially when you’re trying to grab a treasure chest) and the lethal nature of Souls-like combat splendidly.
If a top-down Souls-esque experience is something you may be craving, Loot River is a great go-to. But if you're hoping for a little more reward with your risk, look elsewhere.