13Z is a beautiful, frenetic roguelike – and you can play it now | Hands-on preview

13Z is a beautiful, frenetic roguelike – and you can play it now | Hands-on preview

As a seasoned gamer with over three decades of experience under my belt, I must say that 13Z has caught my attention like a phoenix rising from the ashes. The vibrant art style and the fast-paced combat have me reminiscing about my early days playing arcade games in the local arcade.


13Z is a vibrant, fast-paced third-person action game developed by Mixed Realms, which I’ve had the opportunity to experience this week due to early access to the public playtest. This playtest is now live for everyone to enjoy. The game draws inspiration from the Chinese Zodiac and offers a lively cast of colorful, humorous characters that contrast nicely with its intense combat system.

Set in a realm reminiscent of Hades’ domain, you find yourself navigating through a string of drifting isles. Here, you are subjected to the Zodiac Ordeals, an arduous sequence of trials designed to measure your strength and challenge your skills to their extreme limits. As for the playable characters, there will ultimately be six options, yet I had the opportunity to sample Lyra – a nimble vixen-woman, armed with a blade as sharp as her agility, who can evade and dash by transforming into a fox herself.

13Z is a beautiful, frenetic roguelike – and you can play it now | Hands-on preview

Combat is a mix of light and heavy attacks, timed dodges, and special attacks which don’t draw from a mana supply or feature a cooldown. Each area is presented as an enclosed arena where you’ll slice through waves of enemies before moving on, choosing the next upgrade each time. These upgrades come in a variety of elemental flavours and add a great deal to the combat.

Here’s an example of paraphrasing:

Over time, these battle arenas progress to encounters with bosses, which currently are my main concern. Unfortunately, there’s no lock-on feature, a crucial component for combat as dynamic as this. Instead, you’re often locked in a struggle against the camera, never quite certain of the direction an attack has sent you spinning. To make matters worse, enemies pack a powerful punch and can take you out with just two well-placed hits. Given that the permanent upgrades primarily boost damage rather than defense at the moment, staying alive feels challenging.

13Z is a beautiful, frenetic roguelike – and you can play it now | Hands-on preview

As a devoted fan, I must say that the adversaries in this game offer a good blend of ranged and melee combatants. However, they lack complexity in their tactics, mainly charging at you en masse and swarming around, which can make it rather button-mashing when numerous enemies converge on you.

This game provides an excellent base for sure, with a diverse array of buffs from the elements and unique moves that can be acquired permanently using Skill Tomes. The visuals are captivating, offering a whimsical ambiance even during battles. However, the narrative hasn’t been fully developed yet, so it doesn’t offer much context about what you’re doing or why you’re doing it.

13Z exhibits significant promise, offering enjoyable combat, an engaging world, and a fast-moving, visually appealing experience. While roguelike games have become somewhat prevalent in today’s market, 13Z will need to make a strong effort to distinguish itself. Given its current potential, it could very well be a resounding triumph.

13Z is coming PC via Steam, and the playtest is starting from today, September 19th.

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2024-09-20 12:16