Hoplite (video game)

Last updated
Hoplite
Developer(s) Douglas Cowley
Artist(s) Shroomarts
Platform(s) iOS, Android
ReleaseDecember 20, 2013
Genre(s) Turn-based strategy game

Hoplite is an iOS and Android video game developed by Australian indie developer Douglas Cowley and released on December 20, 2013. Its artwork includes old-school pixel art done by Shroomarts.

Contents

Gameplay

The player assumes the role of a Greek hoplite who descends into the underworld, filled with various demonic enemies, on a quest to reclaim the Golden fleece.

Gameplay is turn-based, on a hexagonally-tiled arena of fixed size. The protagonist starts the game armed with a sword, spear and shield, and must reach the exit (represented by a tile depicting descending stairs in order to proceed to the next level, by either evading or killing the enemies on the level. The arena tiles consist of rock floor or lava pools, the latter which proves instantly fatal should the player accidentally end up in them.

The player can gain various abilities - such as being able to throw their spear further or reducing cooldowns for special abilities - by praying at altars found scattered throughout the ever more dangerous levels.

Enemies include footmen, archers, wizards and demolitionists (bomb-throwers), each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Most of the tactical gameplay involves exploiting these attributes while taking advantage of the player's own abilities.

The player starts each level with a fixed amount of stamina ("energy" in game parlance), a portion of which is consumed whenever the player performs a leap. Stamina may be regained either by moving next to an enemy, or by killing - if that ability has been unlocked.

Numerous ability upgrades ("gifts") may be unlocked, such as improved leaping or throwing distance, improvements to the use and power of the shield (known as bashing), or kill-counters which reset cooldowns or restore stamina, among others.

The game unlocks new gifts for new games by way of various achievements, such as retrieving the fleece without taking damage, or killing a certain number of demons within a certain turn limit.

Additionally, the registered version adds Challenge Mode, which is a practically infinite list of three-level dungeons with a random set of gifts assigned at the start.

Reception

The game has a Metacritic rating of 88% based on 6 critic reviews. [1] Touch Arcade said "It's very simple to learn, but there's a huge amount of depth to the game. " [2] PocketGamerUK said "An incredible, ever-changing blend of dungeon-crawling and tactical puzzles, Hoplite may lack a little longevity but it's impressively entertaining while it lasts." [3] D+Pad Magazine wrote "Ultimately Hoplite is not a game based to any great extent about discovering new content or unlocking secrets; while some abilities are added to the roster for completing achievements, it does not have the complexity of hidden mechanics that its close comparator 868-HACK does. Instead it is, bluntly, the more “accessible” game and perhaps as a result the truer evocation of retro gaming. Its rules can be learned very quickly, as any good short-playing game should, and yet it still has elements of deep strategy, choice and randomisation to provide a motivation for chasing high scores." [4] Gameblog.fr wrote "Hoplite is a procedural tactical game that will require patience, concentration and planning. The ideal indie game to chain-die in the bus, the subway or on the beach." [5] GradItMagazine said "Hoplite proudly flies its roguelike colours. Permadeath, turn-based combat and punishing difficulty await those game enough to plunder the dungeons’ depths in search of the Golden Fleece. The punishing, and often frustrating, difficulty of Hoplite is balanced by short, quick levels and an addictiveness that only comes from a desire to not let the game get the best of you." [6] Multiplayer.it wrote "Hoplite is the perfect example of how you can create a roguelike in a bunch of days and get the job done." [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2</i> 2006 hack and slash video game

Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2 is a hack and slash video game, part of the widely popular Dynasty Warriors series, developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game was released exclusively on the PlayStation Portable.

<i>Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup</i> Free and open-source roguelike video game

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup (DCSS) is a free and open source roguelike computer game and the community-developed successor to the 1997 roguelike game Linley's Dungeon Crawl, originally programmed by Linley Henzell. It has been identified as one of the "major roguelikes" by John Harris.

<i>Spelunky</i> 2008 video game

Spelunky is a 2008 source-available 2D platform game created by independent developer Derek Yu and released as freeware for Microsoft Windows. It was remade for the Xbox 360 in 2012, with ports of the new version following for various platforms, including back to Microsoft Windows. The player controls a spelunker who explores a series of caves while collecting treasure, saving damsels, fighting enemies, and dodging traps. The caves are procedurally generated, making each run-through of the game unique.

<i>Dungeons of Dredmor</i> 2011 video game

Dungeons of Dredmor is a roguelike indie video game released on July 13, 2011, by Gaslamp Games. A downloadable content (DLC) pack, "Realm of the Diggle Gods", was released later that year. A second DLC, "You Have To Name The Expansion Pack", was released on June 5, 2012, and a third, "Conquest of the Wizardlands", was released on August 1, 2012. The game has extensive support for user-created modifications.

<i>Puzzle & Dragons</i> 2012 puzzle video game

Puzzle & Dragons is a puzzle video game with role-playing and strategy elements, developed and published by GungHo Online Entertainment for the iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire platforms.

<i>Crypt of the NecroDancer</i> 2015 video game

Crypt of the NecroDancer is a roguelike rhythm game by Brace Yourself Games. The game takes fundamental elements of a roguelike dungeon exploration game and adds a beat-matching rhythm game set to an original soundtrack written by Danny Baranowsky. The player's actions are most effective when moving the character set to the beat of the current song and are impaired when they miss a beat, so it is necessary to learn the rhythmic patterns that the various creatures follow. The mixed-genre game includes the ability to import custom music, and the option to use a dance pad instead of traditional controllers or the keyboard. The game was released for Linux, OS X, and Windows in April 2015, being co-published by Klei Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4 and Vita in February 2016, for the Xbox One in February 2017, and for Nintendo Switch in February 2018. Crypt of the NecroDancer Pocket Edition, developed for iOS, was released in June 2016.

<i>Crawl</i> (video game) 2017 brawler indie video game

Crawl is a brawler indie game by Australian developer Powerhoof. Up to four players and bots in local multiplayer advance through randomly generated dungeons with one player as the hero and the others as spirits who possess traps and monsters in the environment to kill and thus replace the hero. The game received a Steam Early Access release for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms in August 2014, and a full release for those three as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in April 2017 and a release for Nintendo Switch on December 19, 2017.

<i>Alienation</i> (video game) Shooter video game

Alienation is an action role-playing shooter video game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It was released in April 2016 worldwide. The game is an isometric twin-stick shooter in which one to four players defend themselves against an alien invasion on Earth through increasingly-difficult levels. Players can choose one of three character classes, each with its own abilities. Players can upgrade their weapons with collectables, known as upgrade cores.

<i>Wayward Souls</i> 2014 video game

Wayward Souls is an 2014 action-adventure game developed by Rocketcat Games. It is a follow-up and spiritual successor to their Mage Gauntlet and was released for iOS and Android. A Windows version was later released in 2019. The gameplay resembles that of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past crossed with the randomly generated dungeons of a roguelike and the escalating challenge of the Dark Souls series. Rocketcat has continued to update the game since its launch, adding new playable characters and increasing the base price of the game. Currently, the game has six playable characters.

<i>Dungeon of the Endless</i> 2014 video game

Dungeon of the Endless is a roguelike tower defense game developed and published by Amplitude Studios. It is the third game of their loosely connected Endless series, which includes Endless Space and Endless Legend. It was released in October 2014 for Microsoft Windows and OS X, August 2015 for iOS, and for Xbox One in March 2016. The PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch ports were released in May 2020. A revamped version for iOS and Android devices, called Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee, was released in March 2021 by Playdigious.

<i>Quest of Dungeons</i> 2014 video game

Quest of Dungeons is a roguelike video game released on March 25, 2014 by Portuguese developer Upfall Studios. The game has graphics resembling 16-bit game consoles. It was initially released for Windows, Mac, and iOS, then for Xbox One via ID@Xbox on September 7, 2015. In February 2016, it was announced that the game was being developed for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS and was released on September 29, 2016. It was later released for PlayStation 4 on January 17, 2017. On August 2, 2017, it was announced that it would be coming to the Nintendo Switch.

<i>Runestone Keeper</i> 2015 video game

Runestone Keeper is a roguelike video game developed and published by Blackfire Games, with the iOS version developed by Cimu. It was released on March 23, 2015 for Windows and Mac OS X, October 31, 2015 for iOS, and August 11, 2017 for Android.

<i>Dicey Dungeons</i> 2019 video game

Dicey Dungeons is a roguelike deck-building game developed by Irish game designer Terry Cavanagh. It was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux in August 2019, for Nintendo Switch in December 2020, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in November 2021, and for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in February 2023. Ports for iOS and Android were released in July 2022.

<i>Wizard of Legend</i> 2018 roguelike video game

Wizard of Legend is an indie roguelike video game released by American studio Contingent99 and Humble Bundle in May 2018. Funded through Kickstarter in 2016, players take control of a wizard as they traverse a procedurally generated dungeon, using a wide variety of spells to defeat mobs, three major bosses, and a final boss to earn the title "Wizard of Legend". The game received generally favourable reviews. A sequel, titled Wizard of Legend II, is in the works by Dead Mage.

<i>Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon</i> 2021 video game

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is a roguelike puzzle game co-developed by Vine and Yacht Club Games, and published by Yacht Club Games. A spin-off of the platform game Shovel Knight, the player takes control of the namesake adventurer as he becomes trapped within a magical artifact, the Pocket Dungeon, and is forced to fight his way out while battling other knights who befell the same fate.

<i>Curse of the Dead Gods</i> 2021 video game

Curse of the Dead Gods is a 2021 roguelike video game developed by Passtech Games and published by Focus Home Interactive. The game was released via early access in March 2020, and in full in February 2021 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

<i>Mistover</i> 2019 video game

Mistover is a 2019 roguelike dungeon crawler role-playing video game developed and published by Krafton for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4. Mistover is set in a ravaged world recovering from a mass invasion of monstrous creatures from another realm, and its storyline follows the journey of a party of adventuring heroes who are on a quest to discover the source of the invasion. Players navigate environments from an isometric perspective with a party of procedurally generated player characters drawn from a roster of eight character classes to fight monsters and acquire loot recovered from the exploration of levels. A phenomenon known as "mist" is prevalent throughout the game world and negatively influences its characters, monsters, and items.

<i>Dandy Ace</i> 2021 video game

Dandy Ace is a 2021 roguelike action dungeon crawler video game developed by Mad Mimic and published by Neowiz. It was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS in March 25, 2021. Console ports for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were later released in September 2021, and in November 2021 for the PlayStation 4 version.

<i>For the King</i> 2018 video game

For the King is a roguelike role-playing video game developed by Canadian game developer IronOak Games and published by Curve Games. It was released in February 2017 to early access on Steam with a full release in April 2018. Gameplay revolves around exploration, clearing dungeons, and collecting new gear and weapons across the fictional land of Fahrul, with both co-op and single-player modes being available. A sequel, For the King II, was released on November 2, 2023.

<i>Iratus: Lord of the Dead</i> 2020 video game

Iratus: Lord of the Dead is tactical role-playing game developed by Unfrozen and published in 2020 by Daedalic Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.

References

  1. ↑ "Hoplite for iPhone/iPad Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic . Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Hoplite Review - Touch Arcade". 8 January 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Hoplite Review". 10 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "D+PAD » Hoplite". Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "TEST. Hoplite (iPad)". Gameblog. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Hoplite Review" . Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "Hoplite". Multiplayer.it. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.