Great game, lots of charm, all the curses I've seen are fun, especially the ones that change the look of the game, balance is well done and the normal difficulty seems, from my playthrough, just hard enough to be challenging but not hard enough to be frustrating.
I am usually fairly bad at these types of games but I really enjoyed this one.
I never found myself frustrated because the game didn't come hard I got to pick my poison. It was really refreshing to see such a novel concept in what is kinda a fixed game type.
I chose color one time and got my character as a light blue and a dark yellow background. I was in pain.
Hear me out here: a roguelike that only has detrimental upgrades? Trust me when I say, this game is surprisingly fun even if that first question leaves you scratching your head at how that could possibly be.
The premise of The Lesser Evil is really simple: survive 10 nights (levels) in a room with 10 spawning enemies a night that can be defeated with your flashlight; each night, you gain a curse ranging from decreasing your visibility on screen, making the floor slippery, messing with your controls and flashlight visibility, and even outright changing your onscreen colors. The game is simple enough in that it plays like a standard top-down run 'n gun with a couple of enemy variants and a boss; this simplicity and the variety of curses allows the game to have moderate replayability as you attempt to beat each of the 4 difficulties.
While I couldn't find any glitches on the runs I did (2 on video, 5-ish on downtime), I can say that the biggest sore spot of this game is really just the balancing of the curses. For example, there are curses that just change the color palatte of the game, while others insta-kill you if run out of battery power or mess with the aim of your flashlight. Now, this wouldn't be an issue if the curses gradually got worse as you progressed through the nights, but unfortunately you can run into the much more unforgiving curses multiple nights in a row.
All in all, this game feels nice to beat. It's short and sweet, and while the curses can definitely be a detriment, the game never feels unbeatable regardless of the difficulty you're on. If you have 7-ish minutes, give it a try :)
I thought "how can a roguelike be fun when the only things you get screw you over?" and actually it was quite fun. The feeling of accomplishment you get is refreshing to say the least.
This is really fun I love the flip how each round has you getting downgrades but they can sometimes help you in the long run. I had around where I had a bright green on pink and then the next round got a "powerup" where I was able to flip that black and white. really cool idea I am super inspired now to go make a game.
wow really excellent game! really fun, the curse idea works extremely well and really makes it varied, and the flashlight concept works really with the movement. Really great!
I love it! Is really fun even when everything is against you. The fact that there are such horrible pallets like the one light pink and light green one is just funny.
Really fun concept and great execution! The curses are fun and getting a choice gives a nice balance of strategy, skill, and luck. Nice "1-bit" visuals too. It's amazing that you put this all together in just 72 hours!
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
WOW
This game is amazing.
I would definetly give 10/10
That there are curses instead of power ups is Unique but its hard and unrewarding
the reward is a feeling of success for completing a difficult challenge, which is why I feel like someone couldn't beat it
Great game, lots of charm, all the curses I've seen are fun, especially the ones that change the look of the game, balance is well done and the normal difficulty seems, from my playthrough, just hard enough to be challenging but not hard enough to be frustrating.
I am usually fairly bad at these types of games but I really enjoyed this one.
I never found myself frustrated because the game didn't come hard I got to pick my poison. It was really refreshing to see such a novel concept in what is kinda a fixed game type.
I chose color one time and got my character as a light blue and a dark yellow background. I was in pain.
Loved the game.
Hear me out here: a roguelike that only has detrimental upgrades? Trust me when I say, this game is surprisingly fun even if that first question leaves you scratching your head at how that could possibly be.
The premise of The Lesser Evil is really simple: survive 10 nights (levels) in a room with 10 spawning enemies a night that can be defeated with your flashlight; each night, you gain a curse ranging from decreasing your visibility on screen, making the floor slippery, messing with your controls and flashlight visibility, and even outright changing your onscreen colors. The game is simple enough in that it plays like a standard top-down run 'n gun with a couple of enemy variants and a boss; this simplicity and the variety of curses allows the game to have moderate replayability as you attempt to beat each of the 4 difficulties.
While I couldn't find any glitches on the runs I did (2 on video, 5-ish on downtime), I can say that the biggest sore spot of this game is really just the balancing of the curses. For example, there are curses that just change the color palatte of the game, while others insta-kill you if run out of battery power or mess with the aim of your flashlight. Now, this wouldn't be an issue if the curses gradually got worse as you progressed through the nights, but unfortunately you can run into the much more unforgiving curses multiple nights in a row.
All in all, this game feels nice to beat. It's short and sweet, and while the curses can definitely be a detriment, the game never feels unbeatable regardless of the difficulty you're on. If you have 7-ish minutes, give it a try :)
My playthrough:
I thought "how can a roguelike be fun when the only things you get screw you over?" and actually it was quite fun. The feeling of accomplishment you get is refreshing to say the least.
It wasn’t too hard until I started falling towards the edge of the screen.
0/10 literally unplayable
nice little game , I like the idea of a curse.
Good game, Now i hate you.
Fun game.. and i love the 1bit graphics
This is really fun I love the flip how each round has you getting downgrades but they can sometimes help you in the long run. I had around where I had a bright green on pink and then the next round got a "powerup" where I was able to flip that black and white. really cool idea I am super inspired now to go make a game.
wow really excellent game! really fun, the curse idea works extremely well and really makes it varied, and the flashlight concept works really with the movement. Really great!
This is probably the most fun I've had with a random little game I've found on Itch. Loved it.
Hey that was really fun to watch! I subscribed. I love how you went full invisible at the end there just for teh lols XD
I could do it too. I just need a little practice with blindness.
got a mechanic idea you get to remove a curse or get a buff but you have to add 2 more curses
Nice! : )
i love this
72h works, with this nice little game? Woah guys. You rock
is this game have a end..?
yes
Hey this is really good.
Really enjoyed the gameplay loop here. I felt the need to keep going until I beat it. (-:
So simple but so fun! Love it. Great music too.
Pretty addictive !
bruh this is so fun
very hard tho
Incredible
dude this is amazin
super cool concept, awesome execution! Well Done!
Divertoso.
amazing
beat it on a trackpad. I am the gamer god.
me too
do you think you could add a way to change the resoluction kinda hard to see on my screen
There is a fullscreen button on the bottom right or you can download the game and adjust the resolution directly
Super cool game! Fun mechanic and cool style! well done.
I love it! Is really fun even when everything is against you. The fact that there are such horrible pallets like the one light pink and light green one is just funny.
I love it
Invisible light is literally an upgrade haha, you can see enemies and their bullets better. Good game
The concept is really cool! There's a lot of fun cards, and the aesthetic is minimalist but sweet. I enjoyed it a lot!
Really fun concept and great execution! The curses are fun and getting a choice gives a nice balance of strategy, skill, and luck. Nice "1-bit" visuals too. It's amazing that you put this all together in just 72 hours!
very great game!
feels like damocles gaze
That game was a huge source of inspiration for this
I see