Source of Madness

Item: Source of Madness
Rating: 48
Author: VaporLens

Last updated: 2025-02-24

Summary

Excellent Lovecraftian art and atmosphere.
Fun, engaging, and varied gameplay.
Roguelite with procedural generation.
Strategic spell-based combat.
Polarizing; niche appeal.
Poor enemy design and AI.

Categories

RoguelikeProcedural GenerationReal-time CombatCharacter ProgressionExplorationLovecraftian HorrorAction PlatformerSingle-player

Reviews (sample size): 233
Helpful reviews: 79%
Unhelpful reviews: 18%
Protest reviews: 2%

48%
Helpful reviews with positive sentiment
52%
Helpful reviews with negative sentiment

Positive points: 360
Negative points: 544
Gameplay points: 155
Perf. points: 12
Rec. points: 161
Misc points: 46

Point	Description	Importance
Excellent Lovecraftian art and atmosphere Description The game's Lovecraftian-inspired art style, atmosphere, and sound design are consistently praised for creating a unique, unsettling, and immersive experience. The visuals are often described as grotesque, bizarre, and fascinating, effectively capturing the essence of cosmic horror. The sound design and music complement the visuals, enhancing the overall sense of dread and mystery. Importance 97%	The game's Lovecraftian-inspired art style, atmosphere, and sound design are consistently praised for creating a unique, unsettling, and immersive experience. The visuals are often described as grotesque, bizarre, and fascinating, effectively capturing the essence of cosmic horror. The sound design and music complement the visuals, enhancing the overall sense of dread and mystery.	97%
Fun, engaging, and varied gameplay Description The game is generally considered fun and engaging, with a good variety of weapons, equipment, spells, and builds. The core gameplay loop is addictively fun and encourages continued progression. Combat is simple yet logical, requiring strategic coordination. Importance 50%	The game is generally considered fun and engaging, with a good variety of weapons, equipment, spells, and builds. The core gameplay loop is addictively fun and encourages continued progression. Combat is simple yet logical, requiring strategic coordination.	50%
Procedural generation creates unique monsters Description The game features procedurally generated monsters and levels, often using AI, resulting in unique and bizarre creatures. This adds to the replayability and Lovecraftian feel, with enemies having diverse attack patterns and appearances. Importance 20%	The game features procedurally generated monsters and levels, often using AI, resulting in unique and bizarre creatures. This adds to the replayability and Lovecraftian feel, with enemies having diverse attack patterns and appearances.	20%
Diverse builds and powerful magic Description The game features diverse builds, wizards, and magic, with powerful spells and abilities for the player to use. The ring-based elemental weapons allow for changing playstyles, preventing monotony and providing different ways to kill creatures. Importance 17%	The game features diverse builds, wizards, and magic, with powerful spells and abilities for the player to use. The ring-based elemental weapons allow for changing playstyles, preventing monotony and providing different ways to kill creatures.	17%
Skill tree and roguelike progression Description The game features a clear and easy-to-understand skill tree, where players can unlock classes and skills. Upon death, the player is reborn as someone else, retaining unlocked skills, and the castle features tombstones of fallen characters. Importance 11%	The game features a clear and easy-to-understand skill tree, where players can unlock classes and skills. Upon death, the player is reborn as someone else, retaining unlocked skills, and the castle features tombstones of fallen characters.	11%
Unique and fascinating experience Description These points express general positive sentiments without providing specific details or constructive feedback. Therefore, the importance score is reduced. Importance 9%	These points express general positive sentiments without providing specific details or constructive feedback. Therefore, the importance score is reduced.	9%
Enjoyable physics and ragdoll effects Description The game's physics-based ragdoll effects on randomly generated monsters create hilarious and fun moments. Players can use pushback from explosives and shotgun blasts for additional jumps, adding a fun movement mechanic. Importance 9%	The game's physics-based ragdoll effects on randomly generated monsters create hilarious and fun moments. Players can use pushback from explosives and shotgun blasts for additional jumps, adding a fun movement mechanic.	9%
Satisfying dismemberment combat system Description The game features a multi-hit detection system, allowing players to target specific body parts of enemies and dismember them, providing a satisfying sense of destruction. Enemies can have limbs broken off during combat, and will continue fighting even with missing parts. Importance 6%	The game features a multi-hit detection system, allowing players to target specific body parts of enemies and dismember them, providing a satisfying sense of destruction. Enemies can have limbs broken off during combat, and will continue fighting even with missing parts.	6%
Bizarre world and awkward navigation Description The game's world and navigation can feel awkward and strange, contributing to the overall uncanny and fever dream-like experience. Importance 4%	The game's world and navigation can feel awkward and strange, contributing to the overall uncanny and fever dream-like experience.	4%
Well-executed, interpretable story Description The game features a well-executed story that is completely open to interpretations. Importance 4%	The game features a well-executed story that is completely open to interpretations.	4%
Multiple language support Description The game features support for multiple languages, including Portuguese-Brazilian and Turkish. Importance 3%	The game features support for multiple languages, including Portuguese-Brazilian and Turkish.	3%