When I first heard about The Serpent Rogue, I thought by the title that I’d be in for a fantastical roguelike. Imagine my surprise when I did some deep-diving and found a plague doctor up against the elements with nothing but the ability to brew potions, train animals, and survive against seemingly impossible odds. Not exactly a roguelike but not particularly a straight-up survival game either, The Serpent Rogue incorporates a lot of ideas. Do they all come together to make a great game?

The Serpent Rogue has quite an in-depth tutorial, as there are so many systems going on that it can easily be overwhelming. More than just watching your health, you’ll have to manage stamina, your inventory, and learn new potions, all the while baiting and training creatures you may encounter within the world. You’ll obviously have to start small, finding the stray wolf to lure and crafting simple health potions. In no time, you’ll find out exactly what you’re up against in the tumultuous world.

Movement and combat within The Serpent Rogue is quite a struggle in the early game. A lot is left for the player to explore, discover, and learn past the initial tutorial, so I was faced up against an intimidating monster with nothing more than my fists, which I soon found to be a nigh-impossible task. Once I fell and lost all of my items, I decided to find some backup and brew some potions, making for a more manageable challenge. Using all of the tools The Serpent Rogue offers is penitent to survival.

The Serpent Rogue has a decent amount of positives going for it, though. The soundtrack is well-composed, fitting every situation and bursting with charm. It’s a calming reprieve that welcomes you after you die. It is also a layer of suspense during a tough skirmish. Having a portable crafting kit is a serious convenience as well, letting you learn about the world while you explore it and maintain some progress in particularly challenging areas. With the dark fantasy setting fully realized, it’s clear how much potential The Serpent Rogue has.

It’s a shame that past that, I don’t have a lot of good things to say about The Serpent Rogue. I was hit with roadblocks so often that my playthrough could have been cut in half had the difficulty been more balanced and forgiving. Demanding exploration of the same areas and grinding of the same enemies, it’s a test of fatigue for players to see if they’re willing to go through the same anguish again and again without a guarantee of success.

If you’re up for the intense challenge and go into it knowing you’ll be stuck at some points, The Serpent Rogue may be worth it for you. The $14.99 price point is forgiving given the game has a decent runtime, but its brutal difficulty curve and need for dedication may be off-putting for some. Developer Sengi Games has a lot going for it, but it doesn’t make for a seamless experience in The Serpent Rogue. Nevertheless, some reward and fun could be had from the title.

A PlayStation 5 review copy of The Serpent Rogue was provided by Team17 for this review.

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The Serpent Rogue

14.99

6

Score

6.0/10

Pros

• Some Smart Ideas
• Charming Aesthetic
• Strong Soundtrack

Cons

• Insane Difficulty
• Frustrating Combat