Ever since I played my first roguelike years ago, the genre has become deeply personal to me, spawning some of my favourite games of all time.

Naturally, when I stumbled upon ‘Liberté’, developed by Superstatic and published by Anshar Publishing, I was intrigued. A deck-building roguelike set during the French Revolution with a supernatural twist sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed pretty quickly, even though there are some solid ideas here.

The game’s setting, an alternate French Revolution offers an intriguing premise, but the story is unfortunately quite forgettable. While the game features an interesting cast of characters you can eventually choose from, they’re little more than “skins.”

You’re locked into playing as the main character, René, who is the only one able to progress the story. Two standout characters for me were Ana and Eli, whose motivations initially piqued my interest, but their significance to the overall plot left me disappointed.

The gameplay is your standard ARPG experience with minor deck-building mechanics, which is underwhelming for a game that markets itself as such. The deck-building menus are confusing, and despite my efforts, I struggled to get invested in them.

Outside of the cards, combat involves fighting enemies using a small variety of attacks and dodging. Unfortunately, the controls feel clunky and slow, and the enemy AI is simplistic; even boss fights are predictable and lack challenge.

Between runs, you’ll find yourself in the hub world, oddly set in “outer space.” Here, you can build decks and prepare for your next attempt. While it provides useful tools, such as buffs for your next run, it doesn’t add much to the overall experience.

The game includes a reputation system where actions can anger or please various factions. On one side, you have the ‘Rebels’ or the Crown and on the other, the ‘Tribe or Church’ but this feels inconsequential to the story only changing enemy variety and the difficulty of your next run.

Graphically, Liberté is inconsistent. The hand-drawn art during dialogue scenes is beautifully done, presenting the main cast with striking detail. However, in-game, the characters don’t resemble their dialogue portraits. The world itself is dark, gritty, and atmospheric, which suits the time period, but the repeated level layouts grow tiresome after a few runs.

The soundtrack is a highlight of the game. Quiet moments feature slow, calming melodies, while combat is accompanied by fast-paced, exciting tracks. I often found myself humming along, and the music pairs well with the sound effects of clashing swords, explosions, and screams.

The voice acting, however, is hit-or-miss. While the main characters are mostly well-voiced, many NPCs sound out of their depth. It’s worth noting I think the language barrier played a huge part here. The game is of Polish origin so I think this can be excused.

I walked away wondering, “What if?” as the game introduces so many fun concepts, but they aren’t fleshed out enough to leave a lasting impact. With confusing systems, lacklustre mechanics, and an underwhelming story, it struggles to realise its potential.

Written by: Dylan Kocins