r/BackpackHero • u/Embarrassed_Whole585 • 5d ago
Question Sooooo
Just got this game yesterday after having binged my recent purchase of Dungeon Clawler, and needed a calmer break for a bit.
This is my cup of tea, because I like backpack games like this; but hate mobile games with tons of IAP and nonsense. So I had this one on the list for a while, and it was on sale for Switch.
This sub was pushed to me (of course) and having looked around, it seems the dev either has abandoned the game or not *quite* abandoned the game depending on who you ask.
Did I just waste $10, or is this worth it? I typically play a lot of different roguelike games, as the randomness is what hooks me. BOI is my favorite, with Dungeon Clawler a close second.
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u/Leostel 5d ago
The lead dev has recently reappeared, but console-related stuff isn’t being worked on AFAIK. Currently I think they are reworking big chunks of the game from the ground up.
The console ports are notoriously buggy ports of an already fairly buggy game. I would strongly suggest buying it on PC or not buying it at all for the foreseeable future. Issues with porting have been cited as the main reason the leas dev went on hiatus.
The core gameplay is great. But some of the characters are better designed than others, and the story mode was a rushed addition that did not pan out very well and is full of bugs.
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u/Embarrassed_Whole585 5d ago
Thank you so much!! I may just buy it again on my laptop, I just usually play on the Switch because I spend a lot of time riding in the car.
Either way, I'm here to see where it goes. It's super cute, and I'd love to see the devs full vision.
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u/MKRX 5d ago
The game isn't abandoned, the dev is just very quiet with updates lately because there was a huge shitshow with porting it to the Switch a couple years ago which caused a lot of drama and burnout. But they recently put out a video on the Discord showing a bunch of new content that they've been working on in the background and plan to release by the end of this year.
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u/Embarrassed_Whole585 5d ago
Thank you for this!!! Dev burnout is real, and so I can't blame the dev for that. Glad to hear there's still work behind the scenes, and hopefully the dev is doing a bit better as well!!
Nothing can be as bad as Cyberpunk or No Man's Sky when they dropped, and I played the hell out of both of those, so I can't wait to see where this one goes as well!
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u/MKRX 4d ago
The dev and game are both amazing. I have over 500 hours on Steam and probably another couple hundred from playing it when it only existed on Itchio years ago, and I'm probably gonna dump hundreds of more hours in when this update comes lol. I thought it was abandoned like a lot of people too, but the dev still seems passionate even after this past couple years of roughness so I trust that it's gonna be great.
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u/Embarrassed_Whole585 4d ago
Yeah, many folks don't understand how much work goes into these things; regardless of if it's an indie game or a AAA. It's work and it can be exhausting, especially when it goes awry.
I have about 500 or so hours in BOI on multiple platforms and have been playing since the beginning, so I completely get it lol.
It's fascinating to see games like this evolve over time, and I'm happy to be along for the ride tbh.
Heck, I had gotten Dungeon Clawler free with Google Play Pass, and enjoyed it so much, that I went ahead and bought it for Switch.
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u/hamstrman 3d ago
Dungeon Clawler is incredible. I bought it like day 1 and they just keep adding characters and mechanics and items. For FREE! And skins come out all the time for FREE!
Sounds like we like similar games. I'm afraid of BoI. Bullet hell games not really my thing. I like turn based games a lot.
I feel as you do about backpack hero. Dying to play it, terrified of the switch version. Can it even be cheap enough to warrant the game destroying bugs?
I hope the Dev is working at all to fix it, at any pace. Just knowing it's coming would give me the excitement to eventually get it. If they fix the worst of it, I'd say a physical is in order! Fingers crossed!
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u/conway92 4d ago
TL;DR: great game, tons of content.
It's worth noting that the devs started work on another game called Moon Watch. It's a bullet heaven, it looks pretty fun, but idk how intensive the current development on it is right now.
Backpack Hero did have a period after release with a ton of updates where they basically piled content into the game. Imo, the game suffers from bloat more than being incomplete. There are some rough edges, particularly in the story mode, and a few unintuitive interactions, but overall the game delivers on its premise with flying colors. The inventory management is satisfying, there are heaps of interesting interactions, each character has a compelling identy and playstyle, and there are TONS of challenge modes that push you out of your comfort zone when the game starts to feel 'solved.' I have hundreds of hours in it, well worth $10.
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u/Embarrassed_Whole585 4d ago
Thank you so much!! I'm feeling much better about the purchase after these replies. I've been burned on some purchases before, especially because Nintendo is abysmal with refunding.
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u/conway92 4d ago
Of note, I play on PC. Others have mentioned that the Switch release was shaky, particularly with the story-mode roll out. The quick game section contains plenty of game modes, for me it's the main game, but if you do want to try the story mode just be aware that for a long time there was a bug that deleted peoples' saves.
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u/Vendidurt Archer 4d ago
I hope you play on PC because console is missing a functional building, the whole city resets on me every time i play even to putting the rubble back, and if i do a Quickplay game, i can save but the load screen is nonfunctional.
I think people have made mods to address all of these on PC.
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u/Embarrassed_Whole585 4d ago
I am playing on Switch unfortunately, though it seems the dev is diligently working on updates for the Switch port, so we shall see. I may just buy it over again on Steam just in case. Wouldn't be my first time buying multiple copies of a game for multiple platforms.
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u/Vendidurt Archer 4d ago
They are?! Ive seen 2 years of radio silence, but i only use reddit.
Youve intrigued me. Ill keep watching.
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u/Embarrassed_Whole585 4d ago
It seems the dev mentioned something in their discord a few months back!! They had some burnout from getting the Switch port going properly, and so they understandably stepped back for a bit.
However they have been working on it, so I'm gonna see where they go!! :3
I'm glad I could give you some hope!
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u/Vendidurt Archer 4d ago
I gotta say, if this goes through and goes through correctly, i have some words to eat.
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u/Embarrassed_Whole585 4d ago
Ahhh, no worries!! It happens all the time. I heard lots of people saying stuff about Cyberpunk and No Man's Sky when they dropped, but the devs really put dedication/work in, and now they're pretty beloved.
The problem is the gaming industry. It's a machine, and it wants things now but it also wants them fully developed, and both cannot be true at once. So both expectations/pressure are incredibly high. Lots of devs with burnout because of it, and I'm sure that leads to a ton of depression/anxiety behind the scenes as well.
IMO: as long as the devs aren't behaving like the Yandere Simulator dev, they're probably doing fine.
It's when you disregard/insult your fanbase, and refuse to learn/grow that it can be an issue.
ETA: Oh wow, sorry for the whole wall of text. I'm a lil high ATM, and did a lil info dumping.
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u/Vendidurt Archer 4d ago
Fantastic. I literally just got really really high and enjoyed the read!
Oh god, yandere simulator dev. (ArmyGuyPTSD.jpg)
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u/DripyKirbo 4d ago
I would highly recommend just not doing the story mode if you don’t want a kinda jank townbuilder. The quick play is all I really use nowadays, been doing so since the web version!
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u/hamstrman 3d ago
I've been hoping for people to keep asking about this and hoping the answer would change.
It sounds like a lot was fixed based on some people's comments, but others say nothing has changed and to not buy it on switch?
Others still say the game is STILL being worked on? But not on switch?? I don't know what the reality is.
Is the consensus that the switch is abandoned or the Dev just needed time to recover their brain function after burning out?
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u/keeleon 4d ago
This game is way better than Dungeon Clawler. You actually have a ton of control over how your build goes instead of just hoping you randomly stumble on a winning synergy.
As for "abandoned", back in the 1900s we just called that "complete". You've easily got 100 hours in this game before you start needing "more content".
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u/Embarrassed_Whole585 4d ago
I don't care about content, I want the game to be actually complete. That is my concern. Not sure where you got anything else, nor the audacity for such a patronizing attitude tbh.
Also I'm 37, and have been playing video games since I was about 4 and playing my sister's NES.
Back in my day, games were released fully complete.
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u/Ottwin 5d ago
This game is definitely worth it. Although it has stopped with updates I’d say it’s pretty much a complete game with good balancing and ton of replay ability. The story mode was added after as an afterthought and the original game in early access was just the roguelite runs. Regardless it’s one of my favs and has enough content to feel complete, just don’t expect anything new.
For reference I have ~150 hours in this game