Children of Morta is an incredible roguelike title that will keep you hooked for hours on end, offering superb gameplay and presentation, as well as a surprisingly strong story.

While Children of Morta‘s surprising flexibility — without too comprising on the challenge of its gameplay — is one to take note of, it’s Dead Mage’s ability to find harmony with so many [figurative] moving parts that’s more impressive. Don’t let the tag or implication of hollowness throw you, Children of Morta — like Dead Cells before it — is an addictive, well-orchestrated and brilliantly-devised take on the roguelike template.

Save for the issues with RNG and the procedurally generated environments, Children of Morta delivers an exceptional experience with superior gameplay and a surprising amount of heart.

Dungeon-based roguelite fans have a new adventure they should add to their library. The core gameplay isn’t very original, but its coop mode, its elaborate narrative and its great setting make it very, very interesting.

A beautifully written, composed, and visualized roguelike.

While Children of Morta stays pretty solidly in the tradition of recent RPG/roguelikes, its packaging — graphics, design, story and characters — elevate it above the pack and players who have grown weary of the genre will find it refreshing. It’s challenging without (usually) being unfair and while there is plenty of varied combat, there is a story with some heart and soul for any player looking for a break from constant hack and slash. It’s still a roguelike, so any player intolerant of the genre’s “die and try again” conceit will not suddenly become enlightened, but fans of the form will enjoy one of the more interesting and appealing examples in recent memory.

As with most things, Children of Morta will probably get some substantive updates in the coming months, but it currently pales in comparison to other action roguelikes and won’t hold most gamers’ attention for too long.