Each class starts out with different attribute and skill distributions, and they also have unique starting equipment.

The Pit gives you three character classes: Marine, Scout and Engineer, which roughly equate to fighter, rogue and mage archetypes were this a fantasy title. Admittedly, I haven't played any other Sword of the Stars games, so some of the references went over my head, but I suspect there are plenty of little in-jokes here and there that fans of the series will notice and appreciate. The Pit makes no apologies for its simplistic theme, but given the focus is squarely on the game mechanics, that's not such a bad thing. Naturally, this means trekking through 30-odd floors of the randomly generated maze-like facility, starting out in the caverns above it and progressing down through quarters, medical bays, research labs, weapons development departments, and more, with things becoming increasingly dangerous the deeper you go.Īside from the intro movie, the most storytelling you'll ever get is in the form of computer terminal messages you can decipher - some of them providing in-game benefits along with backstory. As a lone marine, scout or engineer, it's your job to quest down into the depths and find the salvation of your people. A deadly plague has caused chaos and death across your world, and the last hope for a cure lies in a forgotten alien facility deep within the Feldspar Mountains.

The Pit, like most roguelikes, has a dead-simple story. While not a perfect game by any means, it certainly features the brutally difficult, 'one more try' gameplay roguelikes are known for, but makes things accessible enough so that you don't need to be experienced with the genre to enjoy it. After following it up with a sequel, which unfortunately launched with quite a bit of bugs and other issues, Kerberos have decided to take their Sword of the Stars universe in a very different direction, with The Pit, a fan-funded roguelike title which blends punishing old-school gameplay with a more modern interface and presentation.Īs the roguelike genre has seen quite a bit of activity in recent years, The Pit goes to some lengths to distinguish itself with its sci-fi theme, inclusion of ranged combat, and lighthearted tone. Canadian developer Kerberos Productions made a name for themselves nearly a decade ago with the release of their Sword of the Stars 4x strategy game, a title met with generally positive reception.

Sword of the stars gameplay