Full Mojo Rampage – Review (PC)
Full Mojo Rampage plays most comparably to Binding of Isaac, although with considerably different visual design and aesthetic. But while Isaac limits itself to single screens of enemies and environmental hazards as a design choice, Mojo presents larger (although still randomised) open dungeons, swamps and graveyards, reminiscent of Diablo II’s randomised game areas. At times Mojo feels like a bullet-hell shooter inside the framework of a rogue-like RPG, multiple ranged and melee enemies all charging the player character, testing your ability to both dodge and shoot at the same time. Moving with the WASD keys and aiming with the mouse from an isometric perspective, the player is tasked with moving through each ‘mission’ to close portals and defeat bosses to progress. In addition to the shoot-em-up core gameplay is the persistent character development; although each play through is cut short by a single death, gold and experience is carried through to the next campaign. Levelling up allows you to level a choice of stats including health, damage, attack speed and movement speed, while gold and medals can be spent to unlock both cosmetic upgrades in the form of masks, and voodoo pins that further improve the stats of your character. This adds an element of grind to the games progression, and helps to reduce the luck aspect that might turn players off of rogue-like games.
Although the progression helps to alleviate some of the initial difficulty, the game presents a difficult challenge, in line with its peers within the genre. Before levelling up health, some enemies simply insta-killed me in the earlier stages of the game. But as is the case with most rogue-likes, Mojo demands an element of perseverance and trial-and-error from its players, if they plan to get anywhere. The game also features both online deathmatch and co-op modes, although I was unable to get a game as the servers were empty at time of writing.
The game plays well, and its tight and responsive controls make it a fun game to pick up for a quick twenty minute run through of the game’s campaign. Mojo really is a charming, stylistically it both looks and feels like it could have been made by a pre-Microsoft era Rare, possibly under the direction of a certain Tim Burton. Even the use of Voodoo for flavour and aesthetic is done with a cheeky sense of self-awareness.
However, despite the fantastic and flavourful visual design, quirky Elfman-esque music and tight gameplay, the game suffers from the fact that it simply isn’t finished. The sole level music may begin to irritate on extended playing sessions, and the fact that there is only one campaign at current time is a little disappointing when considering the price point of £14.99. However, these faults may be excused as Full Mojo Rampage is currently in the ‘early-access Alpha’ stages at the moment. Previously I was quite critical of Gun Monkeys for releasing an unfinished game for a price point I didn’t agree with. The distinct difference here is that it is made explicitly clear both in the Steam Store, and in the games menus that Mojo is a work in progress, and that you are buying into the title to help test, give feedback and improve the game for the future. Despite this, I am still unsold on the business practice of offering games up at their full price for early adopters; £14.99 is a steep price to ask for such a limited product and it is difficult to recommend the game at that price.
Verdict: A great game to just pick-up and play for short periods at a time, although any potential purchaser should bear in mind that this is an early access Alpha. High levels of polish already evident on existing content. Very promising –one to most certainly keep an eye on.
Pros:
– Extremely well-polished with a great visual style that simply oozes flavour
– Tight gameplay that combines the ‘shoot-em-up’ and ‘rogue-like RPG’ genre perfectly
– Alongside the single-player experiences of other rogue-likes, offer multiplayer (although empty at time of writing)
Cons:
– High level of initial difficulty
– Randomised levels, enemies and items may frustrate some players due to luck affecting gameplay
– Early access Alpha means limited content for a higher price tag
– Repetitive nature of the genre is only further exaggerated by the limited selection of music and gameplay available currently