I often find it quite dull that the main takeaway far too many people have taken from Dark Souls, aside from thinking that the most interesting thing is its combat, is that it’s all so bloomin’ grimdark. I’m not saying I need sunshine and rainbows, I’d just like a vibe that’s even remotely trying to be different from FromSoftware’s seminal work. And so! I am quite pleased to discover MycoRelic, a Soulslike that pits you as a robot that covers its body in mushroom parts that offer elemental powers.
MycoRelic, from the offset, has this low-poly style that almost reminds me of oldschool RuneScape in a way I clown with quite quickly. The game looks good! The vibes look odd and, thankfully, not particularly derivative of medieval aesthetics. But while I am vibes-first when it comes to games, a Soulslike does live and die by its systems, and the systems here sound quite intriguing.
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For starters, there are no classes to speak of, just various weapons with their own moves and stats, and armour that “suits your playstyle and aesthetic.” Huzzah! A game that understands one of the best bits of Dark Souls is dressing up. When you start out, you just have a “decrepit, moldy frame,” but over time you can replace parts of it to improve your health, stamina, frame integrity, and the “potency of your fungal magic.” Mycellic music to my ears.
Different fungi have different powers, and can be combined to create new effects, or used in a multitude of ways; healing water can restore your friends or put out a fire for example. And oh, yes, there’s co-op too, though I don’t know if it’s the friction-heavy Dark Souls kind or the seamless, hassle-free kind. On top of all this you’ve got an air-dash and can glide too, offering up some tasty platforming potential not typically found in the genre. I like it! And it just came out in 1.0 after a period of early access. If you fancy giving it a go, there’s still a demo on Steam, or you can just pick up the full thing.
