I’m a huge fan of roguelike games, I think this column would shine light on some of that. The depth of my obsession demands that I consume more than just roguelike, however, so this will be a minor deviation into rougelight territory. The star of this episode is a massively entertaining title called Let Them Come, from dev and publisher Versus Evil.
Let Them Come has all the pared down mechanics of a roguelike, with a more limited scope of gameplay. It reminds me heavily of a classic sci-fi film, Aliens. In one of the best scenes in the film, we are treated to an off camera hallway filled with swarming Xenomorphs being held at bay by two automated turrets. As the ammo counter ticks down, the tension rises, and the constant barrage of gunfire is only heard above the screams of dying aliens. In Let Them Come, you get to be in that hallway, operating a mounted machine gun with infinite ammo. It’s exactly as fun as it sounds, with a pretty kickass soundtrack.
The game is incredibly simple, and delivers heavily on its promising concept. You play the last survivor of a doomed mission, as he holds various hallways on a derelict spacecraft by the skin of his heavy caliber machine guns teeth. Swarms of varied, interesting, and highly lethal alien creatures attack relentlessly, uncaring for the thousands of their own dead they have to crawl over to get at you. Spines, teeth, acid, explosions, and tentacles galore flood the hallway to get at you, and you hold them back with fire and lead. Burt Gummer would be proud.
The game primarily revolves around upgrades to your equipment. Each dead monster gets you a coin, and for every few hundred coins, you can unlock and try a new weapon, or upgrade your .50 caliber best friend. There are melee weapons for close encounters, grenades with delightful variety, special ammunition for the gun, and even armor to help shield you from the onslaught. The enemies also present an engaging set of mechanics to manage, and they are topped off by scripted, mechanic-based boss fights.
The gameplay is honestly quite limited in scope, but where that would sink most games, it’s a massive strength for Let Them Come. The limitations in scope allow a very narrow focus that not only serves the gameplay experience well, but creates an enjoyable world to explore and a genuinely fun game. It’s great for marathon grind sessions, or if you’ve got 15 minutes to kill before work. And at an asking rate of 7.99 on Steam, you’re getting a lot of enjoyment for the price of admission. A highly worthwhile gaming experience.
Sconnie Books 