- Disclaimer
- The Renaming Legal Trouble
- Gameplay loop
- Verdict
- Recommendations
Disclaimer: there will be fewer pictures in this article to prevent spoilers, there are only 8 Screens where the game takes place.
The Renaming Legal Trouble
Stuck in Time, previously known as Loop Odyssey is an Idle-Planning-RPG. The goal is to plan a route through your environment to break your curse and escape the Loop.
Now to address the Elephant in the Room, yes this game looks strikingly similar to Loop Hero, yes it was originally named very similar too. But that’s where the similarities end, the game mechanics are different and the core gameplay loop is not similar at all. In the end, the developer had to change the name of the game in line with a DMCA Strike on Steam, which is allegedly coming from the publisher of Loop Hero Devolver Digital. The copyright lawsuit was settled with the developer changing the name of the game and keeping all the game mechanics and astethics. Now with the unimportant things out of the way let’s look at what the game is about!
Gameplay Loop
With looking at this game, you should keep in mind that it’s an idle game. The intention is to make a loop that grinds the stats you want while you go to something else. It is a very simple Gameplay Loop with a few core mechanics that are not that complicated. While playing you can spend an action on a tick, this tick you can do: Move (UP, DOWN, LEFT or DOWN), Interact, Speak or Attack. While spending an action you spend Mana for each action! Each time you spend Mana on an action this action costs a little less Mana on this specific tile, this is how you get farther with the same amount of Mana, but you can change the amount of mana you own by levelling up from an action by levelling your SPIRIT, other options would include HEART which increases the “Game speed” by increasing the amount of Mana spend per Tick, so if your next 4 ticks would take 4 Mana and you have a Heart modifier of 4 than you would just do these 4 ticks and the last one is BODY, which heals you a bit and gives you attack damage to kill stuff more easily. The other stats are: Defence and Defence efficiency, one flat decreasing your damage taken and the other decreasing your efficiency with using armour. The last and most significant important stat is FAMILIARTIY, this stat increases like the aforementioned when you repeat an action. Other than stats there are also Skills and Buffs, which you get by interacting with the various NPC in the world or perform certain actions.
In the end, it’s not that hard of a mechanics, allocated what the next mechanic is and grind it to the ground.
Verdict
I think this game is a very fun side hustle, it is certainly nothing you can spend a long time paying attention to at once, as you wouldn’t gain anything with it.
I can recommend a buy if you like idle games, but want a different experience than a normal idle game and this certainly delivers!
Recommendation
- Plantera 1 and 2 by VaragtP
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/plantera?partner=imaflanker - Chicken Assassin: Reloaded by OneShark
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/chicken-assassin-reloaded?partner=imaflanker - Desktopia by The Evergloom Team
- Dragon Cliff by Meta Interactions
- Melvor Idle by Games by Malcs
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/melvor-idle?partner=imaflanker - Swag and Sorcery by Lazy Bear Games and Uroboros Games https://www.humblebundle.com/store/swag-and-sorcery?partner=imaflanker